Grace. I have been exploring marketplace systems that do what you're describing. These are doable but you need more than the mobile phone to implement it. Sameera's also right, such a solution requires institutional support. Let's have a chat and see what solution we can develop. Cheerio, Hellene

[quote=Khalid Khan]Could someone please tell us about the monetary aspects and implementation methodology of their existing programs i.e. - who implemented the program? - do farmers purchase the equipment from their own resources and is this done individually or as a group? - is there any subsidy? - is there an initial training program and is this conducted by the private or public sector? - is the program commercially oriented and sustainable? - has any impact assessment been carried out from a development point of view?[/quote] Khalid, when we run the [url=http://www.syngentafoundation.org/projects_programs_ficom.htm]FICOM project[/url] in Uganda, we tackled the equipment ownership by introducing them as a business opportunity. The MTN Village Phones that were essential for facilitating farmer access to information and the markets were preceded by basic business training to enable them survive as viable businesses. This led to more phone ownership by local farmer groups and individuals who saw pockets of opportunity for spreading the technology locally.