Question 1: In a partnership between a mobile network operator and agricultural partners...

Hello All and thanks to the e-agriculture team for having set-up this forum.

I believe that in a partnership between a mobile network operator (telco) and an agricultural partner the key for a sustainable and viable service to farmers is the underlying business model.

In that sense, each partner needs to focus on what it is good at:

Telco:

1. provide access to the telecom network (including underserved regions/areas);
2. market and communicate on services that are available to users (all services available through their network);
3. charge users and share generated income with external Value Added Service providers (here the agricultural partner).

Agricultural partner:

1. clearly identify who the target farmers are and what their real information needs are;
2. understand which format is best suited for the collection and delivery of information (voice/IVR, text...);
3. collect, analyse, refine and disseminate (or make available) relevant agricultural information to the target audience;
4. market available information services in the field, including through networks of extension workers (or "community knowledge workers");
5. make sure the telco partner fully understands that there is a real business behind VAS targeting farmers, even if the information service may take a longer time to take off (break even).

These key respective responsibilities enable for a business partnership which is meant to cover costs involved in the information management meant to benefit farmers.

It is easier said than done, but I think that the only information services targeting farmers which work in a self-sustainable way (not through advertisement made by large product/service providers) have followed this route.

I am keen to read other people's views and learn from them!

Thank you for starting this forum off right! We look forward to hearing more from you as the other questions open.

 in 21st century mobile information is easy for flash any thing and low costing any where we sit and easily convey the massage as forum start and communicate massage massage flashed and egar farmer knew easily about the solution of the problem experts are easily think and they can give the connecting othebs and solute the problem very fastly because agriculture do not have time and wait for anything so in my view it is very useful

Thanks @radard! This is indeed a very good analyis of how the roles between telecom provider and Agricultural partner might be split. I would like to add just a couple of other points to this picture.

In addition to the basic infrastructure they would provide to any VAS provider, MNO could also bring additional benefits and assets to the table if strategically involved in building the Agri VAS:

• USSD menu. By providing Agri VAS access via basic USSD menu service provider could dramatically decrease the barriers for the rural users to access the service by increasing the usability (easy to find, no need to remember the codes). Usually MNOs provide access by USSD menu only to their core VAS such as mobile money solution. USSD access can also be seen as an idicator of their commitment to provide the service long-term.
• Potentialy MNO has a capacity to blend Agri VAS with mobile money solution and compliment advisory with agricultural financial services, such as loans and crop insurance. 

There are several other roles that need ongoing involvement from one of the partners, and sometimes would require a third party to get involved:

• Formatting of the content. Even if the original source of content is identified and the channels for service delivery are chosen, information still has to be reformatted and sometimes translated to be delivered and understood by the end user. Agricultural partner might not have an immidiate capacity to do this in-house, as Agricultural partner is usually an NGO or Ag institution and not a VAS provider it its traditional sense.
• Quality assurance of the content - including sources, processes and final advice delivered. For this independent agronomists/ SMEs might be recruited if for example the agricultural partner has extensive on the ground experience but not so much access to the latest deep research around each individual crop/ animal.

Would be great to see how others have tackled these problems and look forward to further discussions! 

I just want to let everyone know that Question 5 of this forum (opening for discussion on 29 Nov.) is focused specifically on content issues. This is a great introduction to this important, and often underestimated challenge of any agricultural information service.

 @Natalia - Some of the activities that may fall under the “Knowledge Brokering Role” that I mentioned earlier briefly go to address your point on agriculture partners:

Demand Articulation Function (DAF): Partners that have expertise in organizing, identifying, planning, scanning, gathering, categorizing, storing information/knowledge through deliberation and brainstorming activities with the potential users/generators of information/knowledge.

Process Management Function (PMF):  Partners that have expertise in mobilizing resources; secondary knowledge production through translating, modifying, rebuilding, packaging and repackaging of knowledge products from raw materials or from other knowledge products; and monitoring, evaluation, supervision, and feedbacks of content.

Supply Activation Function (SAF):  Partners that can ensure the final products get to the end users by signaling, activating, setting in motion or triggering the final utilization of knowledge products to the user communities; and then actually communicate the technical know-how of the products to the user through advising, demonstrating, teaching, explaining, and training users.

Ben

I agree with radard's delineation of the roles of mno and agricultural partner. In my view, the mno is the platform provider and the ap the content provider. In my experience the partnership is formed by an Agreement, in which the roles of each party are specified. However, it is my experience that mnos dont want to engage the aps directly. Instead, an ap has to go through a third party IT company. And the ap has to negotiate and sign the Agreement with the itc to provide a service/content on the mno platform. Our experience is also that the mnos are willing to share only a small % of the revenue generated with an ap. And even then, the little share is never paid in time to the ap. This negates the ap's financial viability. Usually, the mno is so large relative to the ap that the ap has little or no bargaining power for a fair share of the revenue, and in obligating the mno/itc to pay on time, e.g. on a monthly basis. How can this challenge due to imbalance of bargaining power between an ap on one hand and the mno/itc on the other be fairly addressed!?

 1.       [Day 1] In a partnership between a mobile network operator and agricultural partners, what attributes does each partner bring, how are they complimentary and what roles should they play in delivering a service to farmers? 

In the context of IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL), Bharti Airtel is the network operator and Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) is the agricultural partner. In this model successfully implemented in India, each of the partners has contributed with their respective domain strengths. 
- The network partner has a cricial role in ensuring adequate network coverage, developing suitable  products which are within the reach and affordability of the target audience, addressing coverage issues, etc. 
- The agriculture partner brings in rich experience of rural needs and quality content. 
-  Both Bharti Airtel and IFFCO have joined together in a joint venture which establishes their commitment. In addition to finacial resources, each has contributed experienced human resources with expertise in all the related areas of service. Leveraging the streangths of the promoters,

IKSL has developed as a Content Provider as well as Integrator of various stake holders. 
- The network provider is important in sharing the MIS on delivery of the advisory services to the farmers and receipt. 
-  A VAS Technology Partner is important in managing the content and delivery through the network operator. In the case of IKSL, Bharti Airtel has contributed this support thru a third party vendor with specialisation in managing the delivery. 
- In addition to own content compiled and collated, IKSL also has developed partnerships with other Agencies and Institutions which generate actual content - like Agricultural Universities and Research Institutes, International agencies like CABI, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Agmarknet for market information, etc. IKSL has developed platforms to collate and make reference material accessible to its Content Team. 
- IKSL has also developed Partnerships with other stake holders in rural India for promoting more focused and location specific advisory services. With these organisations / agencies, IKSL has promoted Focused Communities of farmers with common subjects of interest under the aegis of a collaborating partner. Such partnerships include - State / Central Govt Ministries, State Level Federations, NGOs, etc. These partners facilitate in providing more intensive and focused advisory of relevance to the subscribers 
- IKSL has also developed ICT Platform with support from GSMA Foundation to manage all the activities and set up quality assurance processes. 

Mr Srinivasan, thank you for this detailed comment. Would you please give us a little background, and maybe some links to detailed information about IFFCO? This could be interesting to our global audience. Thank you.

Mr. Riggs,

Here is a brief on IFFCO:

Indian Farmers Fertliser Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) is a multi-State Cooperative society incorporated in 1967 in India having more than 40,000 member societies with a base of around 55 millions farmers.

IFFCO is an Important stake holder in Rural India which has established a strong bond with millions  of farmers. It is the largest Producer & Marketeer of fertilisers in India having installed capacity of more than 8 million Tonnes of fertilisers

Reaching out to Farmers :

IFFCO has always recognised the importance of adopting ICT for bringing about a significant change in reaching out to the farmers. Towards this, IFFCO promoted a joint venture company by the name IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Ltd. (IKSL) with Bharti Airtel Ltd.  &  M/s Star Global Resources Pvt. Ltd. 

Mission of IKSL is to empower people living in rural India, to provide the much needed inputs, information & services on real time basis through affordable mobile communication, to enable farmers to improve their decision making ability and to associate like minded organizations for meeting the objective of IKSL.

Fore more information -
http://www.iffco.coop/