Rachel Zedeck
| Организация | Backpack Farm | Kenya |
|---|---|
| Organization type | Private Sector (Commercial Companies) |
| Страна | Kenya |
Rachel Zedeck if the Founder and Managing Director of the Backpack Farm Agriculture Program (BPF), an internationally recognized social enterprise with a mission to "grow 1 million+ smallholder farmers out of poverty."
With a unique approach to training, rural distribution and finance, they were the first commercial enterprise to launch mobile training in Kenya and continue to expand the program with a more advanced mobile application. Most recently, the Backpack Farm was named a finalist for the Katerva Award honoring the best groundbreaking ideas on the planet with the ability to make the planet a healthier and more sustainable place by reaching scale.
This member participated in the following Forums
Форум Forum: "Using ICT to enable Agricultural Innovation Systems for smallholders" September, 2012
Question 3 (opens 24 Sept.)
Bruce... as I have mentioned before, we work with farmers in the field so our knowledge transfer flows in the opposite direction. Farming is done in the dirt, not a mobile phone.
Why do we necessarily need to depend on local ag extension officers? I think there is valid justification to look at how commercial enterprise will leverage effective design to circumvent the need for another layer of human capacity in rural knowledge transfer.
At least here in East Africa, the community is driving demand for both technology and content through widespread adoption of mobile technologies. So rather than ICT being the driver aren't communities themselves - a great framework for human centered design. We can't create demand but we can respond to it. Maybe we just need to become better listeners.
Question 1 (opens 17 Sept.)
To truly accomplish sustainability (however you define it), doesn't an innovation need to reach scale ? What what is real scale? Should we measure in percentage of marketshare, impact on GDP or simply household income?
I always love hearing about other for-profit models that understand the potential of frugal innovation! Thank you for sharing the model. I look forward to its expansion into horticulture crops vs. livestock management.
Sir, I think you may be missing a few phases of information for primary production. As a commercial company we do not openly share our sms content but you are welcome to download our primary TOT training manual from our homepage and develop your own.
-R-
My only concern about the Grameen model is that it is not financially self-sustainable. How much innovation can we or should we advocate if it is dependant on donor funding?
Question 2 (opens 19 Sept.)
Canning...
I would like to learn more about the model but your registration process requires uploading an ID? Can you share more about the thinking behind this registration requirement? Is there a demo username & password you can supply me?
Rachel
Bruce.. I agree with you on many points but think you are confusing "demand" and "delivery." There is a demand for agriculture content but we expect our audience to pull this content from us. We do not mass broadcast. But it is unfortunate that most donor driven projects need to demonstrate uptake or lose their funding. Yes, a dependency on donor funding has forged a double-edged sword.
Yes.. commercialism does rule and the only way to ensure scalable impact and growth is financial self-sustainability. Revneue doesn't have to be generated solely from the sale of content but also advertising revenue. It will simply be at the discretion of the enterprise to what commercial enterprise or products they support. When our sms content was free, no one wanted it. When we charged, more than 1,200 users registered. We need to stop underestimating smallholder farmers (AKA rural communities) and their potential as commercial consumers. Yes, I would love to secure grants to continue our proejct development and testing but my fear is we would derail our own success.