m-applications for m- agriculture2010 CTA Observatory

• IAALD 2008• Mobile Observatory 2009• IAALD 2010• AgKnowledge Africa ShareFair 2010 • Mobile Applications Observatory 2010

OVERALL OBJECTIVETo improve ICM policies within ACP institutions and within development partners and agents

EXPECTED RESULTS• Key ICT issues and strategies relevant to ACP agricultural

and rural development identified for e service delivery with ‐mobile application stores.

• New links established among development actors for future interventions in e service delivery with mobile devices‐

• Inputs for ICT/ICM Innovation Plans of CTA and partners• Online and printed / multimedia conference proceedings

Observatory 2010: The potential of mobile applications for positive social and economic change in rural communities

Case Studies• LINKS Livestock Market Information System in Kenya and, Ethiopia, ILRI &

National Government• Plant and animal disease monitoring by SMS from FAO• GPS and 'CyberTracker', recording indigenous knowledge, South Africa• Climate Change data - a case for m-applications• Private sector market information initiative in Uganda• Digital Devices - iPad, Kindle, SmartPhone• App Lab - CSIR/Meraka & SANGONet - developing m-apps ecosystem

through targeted projects• DataDyne - SMS Data Collection• Open Data Collective - Data Gathering, workshop evaluation built in one day• Google SMS/Famer's Friend - Local Content searching and sharing in

Uganda, BROSDI

Spielman & Briner, 08

Policy Issues• Regulators, senior managers and

Government officials often don't understand the Information Society

• It's very hard to get funding for policy advocacy because it is hard identify the impact of a particular player in the policy and regulation chain yet it is crucial to have staff resources to this area of work.

• There is low public understanding of the issues, so there is rarely public pressure

• Universal Service Funds are not administered in uniform ways

Summary Policy Recommendations

• Support the development of national and regional ‘watchtowers’, with all stakeholders, to perform studies, raise awareness, recommend standards and guidelines and undertake scenario modeling to demonstrate outcomes of specific policies and regulations

• Benchmarking, as a basis for comparisons, advocacy and as a motivator for individual countries

• Link and associate ministries other than Telecommunications or ICT, to generate pressure and interest

• Telecom networks need to be involved in regulatory process, especially from networks with regional footprint: create space for dialogue between regulators, operators and Governments

• Support civil society national campaigns, with authority, technical capacity and networking of civil society

• Highlight gender issues, especially in terms of adoption and appropriation of technology

• Key role for CTA in supporting these and other initiatives at all levels

A snapshot of next steps• ConnectAFrica & SANGONet in Zambia to link

Rural Service Centres with m-applications; & Met office - pilot forecasts in rural areas in Zambia; & Meraka - MxIT for farmers

• FAO SMS pest surveillance: improve, use technologies such as MMS and USSD; Collaboration with CTA - Gender evaluation methodologies "GEM lite“; Climate information and the link to disease distribution patterns; Integrate system with Nairobi Link system (ILRI) for SMS

• ILRI : marketing of horticultural products - developing coding system in Kenya like that used for livestock

• BROSDI : Engage in policy and regulation at a national level; Learn more about the whole range of newer mobile applications - get an android phone!

• Yam Pukri: Use of phones to do evaluations/questionaires; develop national networks for policy advocacy

• WOUGNET: Work with CTA on policy work in m-agriculture

• Secretariat of the Pacific Commission : Work with Cafn on advocacy with DigiCell (same provider)

• DataDyne: Pacific and Caribbean farmers networks with EpiSurveyor (Data uploading etc); Link with CyberTracker

• Paul Barera, RTN: learn more about the range of use of mobile phones and m-applications and incorporate their use in telecentres

• Caribbean Farmers Network: Usefulness of value chain for mapping business models and for service developments; Capture case studies - e.g. Cybertracker; Replicating projects (USAID/Ethiopia/ILRI) in Caribbean; Climate data for Caribbean farmers

m-applications for m- agriculture2010 CTA Observatory