Introduction

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Hi, I'm Anna-Maria, a student of cultural anthropology. But right now I'm a volunteer at FAO for 6 months. Here I got involved in different activities on knowledge exchange, especially the e-agriculture.org platform. Updating the news and events section, working on the e-agriculture youtube account and answering incoming mail are some of my daily activities. Mobile phone use for rural development is a new topic for me, so I'm really looking forward to learning from all of your experiences. I'm especially interested in the cultural impact mobile telephony has on locals and their social structure. Curious to hear from you:)

First, Sorry for my poor english. My name is kent Hoshiba, working at CETAPAR (NGO), an agricultural experimental station plased in Paraguay. I´m soil researcher, I really interested in mobile telephony tecnology, that is used in agricultural precision.

First greetings to all participants of the forum, and also an apology but the English is not my native language. I am a sociologist and I live in Chile, I dedicate it to the consulting and research for public institutions geared mainly to agriculture and the incorporation of technologies. We recently completed two new research on use and access to the computer and the Internet on agricultural producers, an initial investigation into strategic products lines and a second on use and access of information. Both believe the access and use of the cell. For me this is very interesting this forum to hear others' experiences and see how it is finally possible to bridge the gaps in access to and use of technologies and information.

Hello all. I am a researcher in the Agricultural Research Organization (ARO) in Israel. My research interests are within information technology. We are pushing forward technologies to collect data from field workers, currently we work mainly with pest scouts. We collect spatially anchored data on pest infestation in field crops. During the last summer we started to use cellular technology to send data to main server and to return real time information, with respect to space and time, to the field scouts. We are also implementing this technology to record data for date palms growers, such as for fruit counting. The purpose of data collection is to improve management, monitor and predict pest infestation and to support decisions in various levels from the individual worker, through farm management, growers organizations and for regional decision making.

My name is Rafael Cornes. I am Nutricionist from Uruguay. Sorry for my poor english. I work in the Pan-American Dairy Federation since 2005 coordinating the Program More Milk=More Health and I am very interesting in this technology for the rural areas.

Hi from Brighton UK. My interest in the forum relates to forthcoming work I'll be doing looking at mobiles and social media and their role in sharing learning about the impact of innovations in agriculture. I work at the Institute of Development Studies ([url]www.ids.ac.uk[/url]) on issues of knowledge sharing, learning and change within organisations working on development. I come at these issues from a cultural / social science perspective I guess, but am a practitioner rather than a researcher ([url]http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/people/a-z-list-of-ids-people/jackson-carl[/url]) Looking foward to the debate and thanks for providing this opportunity to get together.

Hello, everyone, my name is Kristin Davis and I am a researcher with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). I conduct research and capacity strengthening in agricultural extension. I am working on a book chapter on the use of ICTs in Sub-Saharan Africa, and am interested in how mobile telephony can improve rural livelihoods.

Hello everybody, I am Sheryl I. Fernando a Development Communicator and Public Relations Officer of the Benguet State University (Philippines). I would like to learn from other extensionists/ development communicators about their use of mobile phones in Agriculture. Our University has a radio program called "BSU-on-the-Air" and I can say that it has popularized the use of text messaging as a form of interaction with its listeners. Our broadcaster has documented the text messages that farmers had been sending and he received a lot of queries related to farming even off the air... and I would like to share our experience on Mobile Telephony with everybody... Thank you

Hello All, I am Joseph Lindsay and am coordinator for the Agriculture unit of the University of the West Indies based at the Mona Campus-Jamaica. I am interested in learning how the mobile phone can better assist in information exchange between researchers, extension officers and the farming population, I am looking forward to the discussion.

I am Jose Mercado and I am a free lance consultant on market and enterprise development for small farmers in the Philippines. My latest project is with the Department of Agrarian Reform, World Bank and the Landbank of the Philippines to implement Agrisol (AgriFinance Solutions Project) which aims to provide credit access to small farmers through a market led and enterprise development approach. This forum is of particular interest because mobile telephony (use of the cell phone) in the rural areas is fast becoming an important tool for farmers to bring their goods to their markets. It is cheap, quick and easy. I would like to see new developments and more cases in the use of mobile telephony in rural areas, other e-technologies that can be used to help the small farmers both in marketing, technology development and extension. Looking forward to this forum.

Hi all, I'm Dorine Ruter, working as a consultant and facilitator at ETC Foundation in the Netherlands. I am member of the international support team of PROLINNOVA (global network on promoting local innovation). Prolinnova promotes a bottom up approach of agricultural research, for example through participatory innovation development (e.g. with joint experimentation). We're currenlty exploring how farmers can document issues of importance to them. This could be indigenous knowledge and practices, their own innovations, problems with crops they would like to discuss in their farmer groups. I'm interested to share what Prolinnova partners have learned so far from their experiences and to hear more about the opportunities of mobile telephony. I'm a bit sceptical about a strong focus on ICTs, but would love to hear good examples and sustainable approaches! Best wishes, Dorine Ruter www.ruter.nl/blog | delicious.com/dorineruter

Hello, I am Dr. R. Shashi Kumar, Reader in Economics, Bangalore University, Bangalore, India, working on Agriculture and economic development. I wish to state that, there is a great concern at present about the importance of mobile in economic development. Many of us will immediately react that mobile is used for conversation or for communication. But, mobiles are economically the savers of time, promoters of efficiency, prime movers for develoopment and creators of demand-supply schedules ie., cost-benefit examinations. Hence, there is a lot of magnitude in using of mobile in the process of development, not only that relate to ecnomic, but also socio-cultural. Also, the rural areas, particularly in the developing and UDCs, there is a great need of understanding the economic base of mobile phones. Mobile phones, as I have already mentioned, should be seen as a major promoters of development, but not as a loss-making instrument of rural people. Let we discuss in the coming days about all these, step-by-step.

Hello everyone, I am a researcher from Ghana with a focus on ICTs for development. Currently i have been thinking of ways in which the mobile phone can help improve lives in rural areas and hopefully i shall be able to learn a lot from this forum.

Hello there, My position title is 'Director of Communications and Information Markets' for a large DFID funded research programme entitled 'Research Into Use'. As the name implies, the purpose of the programme is to ascertain ways in which field validated research findings can be taken up on a widescale basis in response to the demands of a diverse set of institutions with a common interest (eg in a commodity such as milk, or cassava marketing; or an issue such as youth in agriculture). The programme is directed at resource poor farming communities in 6 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and 6 in Asia.The RIU employs an innovation sytems approach to address these concerns/opportunities - whereby an inclusive set of actors are involved such as those in a 'farm to fork' value chain for instance. It's also attempting to introduce an information markets approach to in-country activities - where information is seen as a 'valuable' input - much like seeds and fertilizers. Currently, the marketplace tends to be dominated by people 'selling' information products that potential 'users' don't want, or not in an appropriate format/language/style. So RIU is attempting to stimulate both 'push' and 'pull' mechanisms to ensure a more dynamic and responsive marketplace for information. We see the burgeoning mobile phone industry in Africa as one which is already fit for many purposes but which needs further development if it is to be used for communicating information other than social exchange, the price of commodities or the transfer of funds/assets. Its use for diagnostics and the SMS facilities for information exchange are but two areas that currently interest us. I look forward to exchanges with the participants in this e-forum.

Hi everyone! Am john kibuuka in uganda and am skilled in wireless networking. i have been working with rural communities in tanzania especially regarding learning how to use computers, internet and market information for farmers. A couple of weeks back, we launched a community wifi network in sengerema, tanzania, where it is greatly anticipated that the rural population benefits from the services of a local telephony network. We haven't set this up but am hoping to learn and share the experiences and challenges in having such a system in place. Am glad to be accepted as part of this discussion.

Hello everyone, I am Subir Dey working in the editorial team of i4d magazine (http://i4donline.net/), a magazine which provides a platform for exchange of information, ideas, opinions and experiences, both inside and outside the Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) sector. The magazine has published issues focusing on the use of mobile technologies for development and information-sharing and we look forward to this discussion to learn more about the current best practices and future possibilities. Looking at the list of subject matter experts and participants, I can tell that we are going to have a very lively and informative discussion :) Thank you, Subir

Hello all, Am Simon Banda. Am from zambia. am working Liaison Officer for fairtrade Labelling Organisational International . we are promoting Fair pricing for producer from the south. iam looking forward to this training

Hello everyone. My name is Cecilia Oyugi from Kenya but resident in the UK. I am a Research Assistant at Thames Valley University (London) and carrying out a Phd-research on using telecommunication to access Agricultural knowledge by the rural farming communities in the developing world. My case study is in Kenya. Am very keen on the discussions here since this topic is at the very heart of my research and there is plenty to learn from each other. Thank you.

Hello all. My mane is Alexander Mena I work for Chiquita Brands placed in Division Bocas, Panama. I am from Costa Rica. I am Agricultural Engineer, MSc in Agricultural Extension and MBA. Here is a reality rural environment. I am interested in learning how the mobile phone can assist producers or extensionists to find information , send data and give interesting information to close the gaps in knowledge.

Hello all! I am Viviana Palmieri and work as technology and innovation specialist at IICA (Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture). I am looking forward to this discussion from the perspective of extension services.

Hi, I am ingeniero Agronomo, workig in health vegetal, I am interested in experience on mobile telephony

Hello, My name is Khalid Khan. I am the CEO of Agribusiness Support Fund, an autonomous not-for-profit organization established in Pakistan with the support of the government and the Asian Development Bank. We provide matching grants to agribusiness enterprises and farmer groups for the purchase of BDS. We have established over 1100 farmer enterprise groups involving 11000 farmers (21% women) who are currently engaged in a variety of agribusiness related activities. Our focus is on horticulture and livestock. I would like to learn more about the potential of mobile telephony as a tool for rural development through sustainable agribusiness activity.

Hi, My name is Toru Mino. I am a student at The Fletcher School, a graduate school of International Affairs, studying international business and economic development. My interests are in how mobile technology, especially SMS services and mobile banking systems, can reduce transaction costs for rural producers and connect them to larger markets. I hope to work with Strathmore Business School in Nairobi to organize a conference in Kenya this spring focused on mobile innovation and economic development. My background is in product development and have worked in Medical devices in silicon valley and appropriate technology in Nepal.

Hello, I am Deborah Zinn, a Senior Expert with the Higher Education Strategy Center. linked to the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. Am hoping to learn about how to link Ethiopian Universities to this project. We are also seeking to improve the International networks of HESC. I'm in Addis Ababa with IFESH (a USAID funded project). And I am a Sociologist. Last year, taught Management & Leadership at the School of Social Work, Addis Ababa University. This year working on Higher Education strategy. I 'usually' live in Melbourne, Australia. Kind regards to all, Deborah

Hello, I work for Mercy Corps in Afghanistan and we are in the process of launching a pilot SMS project delivering price information to farmers, traders and other interested parties. Our collaborators include the mobile company Roshan and the owner of the platform, TradeNet. Kristi Tabaj

I am K.C.Mishra working as a consultant for agriculture specially for the small and marginal farmers in India.There is no dispute that ICT can play an importnat role in the field of agriculture and rural development and an oorganised entrepreneural approach is the need of the hour.This forum will give an innovative approach to this initiatives.

Hi everyone, I'm Thomas, specialist in rural development working partly at the Swedish agricultural university, partly as a consultant. I have been part of the Swedish part of the EFITA network for some time. I am currently involved in an e-agriculture support project with the Rwandan IT Agency sponsored by SPIDER, teh Swedish Program for ICT in Developing Regions. I look forward to know more about yoru experiences!

Hello, everybody. and Firstly i hope very much you allow me greetings all participants of the forum and,secondly my name is Salih kheir alla Hussein , I am agricultural economist in Ministry of Agriculture and forests in Sudan.My interests are in the agricultural investment and really i have been working there for many years, so my experience in this field encourage me to participate with other peoples so as to exchange Knowledge and transfer know-how to another persons all over the world . I strongly believe that we can not enable to face our challenges especially recent global financial crisis unless we have good agricultural development and high technology in our daily agricultural practical activities.For me this forum will enable me to hear other experiences and see how can we gain from each others through discussion.

Hello friends, Im happy to be part of you. My name is Adeogun Emmanuel, a Research Engineer at National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization, in Nigeria. I work in the field of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. Im interested in examining the challenges that rural communities face in enhancing the benefits of mobile telephony. But Im of the view of making rural mobile telephony accessible and affordable to rural farmers especially in countries that are going through economic development, most especially in African countries. I would also like to look at some examples of interesting initiatives and good outcomes from around the globe and the possibility of transfering such initiatives for the betterment of rural agricultural practises in African countries. With this development, young graduates in Agricultural fields can be encouraged to practise thier profession in rural areas instead of remaining jobless in the cities. I would be looking forward to this discussion. Thank you.

Hello friends, I am Adeogun Emmanuel, a Research Engineer at National Centre for Agricultural Mechanization in Nigeria. My field of specialization is on Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. I am interested in how rural telephony can bring tangible economic benefits and act as agents of social mobilization through improved communication. But there are real challenges that face reaching rural areas in terms of mobile communication especially in African countries. In my own view, rural mobile telephony should be encouraged by making it accessible and affordable, even to the point of subsidizing it by the country government so that poor rural farmers can be encouraged to use it in order to enhace his agricultural activities. There should be creation of communication awareness by the extension workers to the rural farmers on the right way of using research findings and some of today's most beneficial applications that can help these rural communities on agricultural development. In view of this, I would be looking forward for examples of interesting initiatives and good outcomes from around the globe and the possibility of transfering these initiatives to our own rural farmers. I wish you a fruitful discussion. Thank you.

hello every body, I am delighted to see so many of us here, lots of potential to learn... I am Josien, living in rural Portugal as a dairy farmer and very interested to see how ICT might transform agricultural extension and local development. My own life is quite different now than before wide spread ICT. While our apparatuses (phones, handheld computers) get more mobile, the Internet is becoming more geotagged and location bound. What are the implication for land-bound issues? Looking forward to good examples and maybe, set up experiments?

I everybody. I work in irrigation technology transfer to farmer. Because we use the information in real time to support farmers activities, masin of our work is done by web. And here we get the main constrain: only 15% of farmers use frequently internet services. So we are facing the real challenge to deliver information in real time to all farmers[/img]

Hello everyone, I am Gaurav Mishra from India. I am a PhD student in the University of Reading, UK and currently researching in the area of Information and communication technology for agriculture and rural development. This forum will help me to know the challenges and issues related to the use of mobile telephony in rural areas. I will also be able to know some research question which may form the basis of my research. Hoping to get invaluable comments in the forum... regards, Gaurav

Hello all, Realised that it might be better to put details in Subject heading. Thanks to everyone who has posted so far! Repeated.... I am Deborah Zinn, a Senior Expert with the Higher Education Strategy Center. linked to the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. Am hoping to learn about how to link Ethiopian Universities to this project. We are also seeking to improve the International networks of HESC. I'm in Addis Ababa with IFESH (a USAID funded project). And I am a Sociologist. Last year, taught Management & Leadership at the School of Social Work, Addis Ababa University. This year working on Higher Education strategy. I 'usually' live in Melbourne, Australia. Kind regards to all, Deborah

Greetings. My name is Mark Varner and I've been using Internet and Internet-like communication technologies to host communications between dairy producers and their advising public/private sector professionals since 1989. Yes, as the popular phrase goes that's 'before Al Gore invented the Internet.' :badgrin: Our current forums have more than 3,000 users from over 50 countries with more than 30 messages per day. Mobile communications platforms using phone technologies have the potential of revolutionizing communications just like e-mail and then the Web did, especially for rural citizens. I look forward to hearing about what others think and are doing with these technologies. :)

Hello all, My name is Mark Byer. I am officer-in-charge of the Agricultural Information Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Barbados, West Indies. We are also interested in how mobile telephony can work to help the rural poor. I am looking forward to the discussion.

Dear Colleagues I am coming to this discussion late. WHY? Because there is a crisis of information overload and more and more communication with less and less substance. I want to help reverse this trend and am looking to use a system of Community Accountancy (CA) to help sort out what is useful from what is not. The same techniques have been used in corporate accountancy very effectively and it is anticipated that CA can do something similar for society.