That is better Laura and many thanks. Wish us good trial of your material.

Bye for now

Laurawhudson,

so fascinated and interested to try the FrontlineSMS software free download from your domain but my laptop warned me seriously of the uncertified status of the tool and possible danger of damage to my system therefrom that eventually I shelved the idea of installing/running it in. I still have it dumped in my system though

Appears you have two versions already in use? which one is most suitable for a trial start?

Any re-asuarance?

Thank  you alot

rabiu

Dear Szawong,

Looks like the puzzle is gradually fitting itself for us here before laid on the ground. As you would probably see my latest response to Sean we approached off-forum interaction towards developing opportunities into business. What I would suggest is you also send me your email address so that I can forward more information regarding my local engagements and plans for e-farming development for smallholder farmers here in Kano Nigeria. I like the iFormBuilder idea for quick communication by local farmers to e-agriculture community.

Capacity of portable generators - different range to serve different demand and applications. But from 700w to ----? It is usually a buy, add fuel and engine oil and start affair. Tailors, mobile phone chargers, computer centres, and even residential houses use them extensively. Simply operated by remotest rural people. Different brands, Honda, Kubota, Tiger, Suzuki, I am sure are familiar technologies with you.

Hi Sean, it is wonderful hearing that you have been to Kano for similar engagement before. I have choosen a farm site (about 300 acres) some 1 hour drive southwards Kano for developing 'ICT in agriculture' concepts that have worked elsewhere, for Kano smallholder farmers. It is a ranch farm in the making and we hope to start from cattle fattening (3months) to slaughtering, refridgerating and distribution/retailing in Kano and beyond. The underpining drive is to train local farmers on market-led farm productions principally fresh vegetables, red meat, organic agriculture and e-farming. The farm location is closest to highest irrigation area in the country (Kano River irrigation Project -KRIP), a surface irrigation covering 22,000 hectares commissioned since in the seventies and still going strong but requires some modern transformation. The farmers in this area are as 'closed' to global ICT trend as a dead reciever. In fact, kindly prepare to include the ranch in your model farms project. Will stop here for continuation through the email you send to me. Much appreciation and till you hear from me via your email again.

Thank you Sean 

Perfect Sean, we hit it in this forum. Thanks to e-agriculture. As Senior Special Assistant Agriculture (SSAA) in Kano state, I am interested to present comprehensive proposal on the Off Grid Charging Micro-Enterprise to Kano State Governor for applying in the state. Kindly send me more details regarding the training, where and how many participants and cost implication that covers the required technology to be owned by the trainees.

To us, the added advantage of cutting kerosene for household cooking and health benefits are enormous. Clearly I can imagine significance of the technology bordering on positive challenge to climate change; checking desert enchrochment, positive poverty reduction and most importatnt improving connectivity for contactivity of the hitherto 'closed' rural communities. 

Let's establish contact line on this please Sean

Thank you    

Hello Jolash,

that is great to have some expert close by to work with. I would very pleased we start working on the ground along the line of discussion.

First, make sure we clear the legal requirements that may not neccessarily be there regarding the latest mobile/radio technology but then trust authorities too, with our sudden appearance in the air and with heavy impact on rural farmers we appear to make, a nearest clause distortion in the legal provisions of the country would be changed instantly changed to curtail our operations. so..

About m-agriculture, currently with my little ICT devices and field work with farmers I document my training/research works in one area for viewing in a different area for effects.

Where else would I recommend for collaboration to work with you than my local environment that I know best. That is rural Kano state, 44 local government areas, heavy irrigation of vegetables, intensive cereal production (rice/maize/cowpea), livestock rearing, over 8 million smallholder farmers etc, I have little work I did in 2009 called RURAL DIGITAL BRIDGE (RDB) is along the line you want to start it might be usefull to you. 

It is true everthing you said zgamuriat about electricity and mobile phone in rural areas. But if we expand the issue to improving livelihoods, it is a booming business of operating portable electric generetor just for recharging mobile phones in rural areas. So coming to grips with reality, the issue of electricty is not that much of a hinderance for operating rural mobile phones at least in isolated cases. 

This means we can still come back to the critical issues of operation, data type, accuracy, relevance to the source, mode of presenting the data to final destination of analysis. Validity of the data captured tells alot about the data capturer. For example, how does an illiterate capture pest destruction in a local rice field that is reaching threshold level very fast. Think of validity of the data for correct analysis, the transfer and feedback remedy. 

Good day Amy, already I am enjoying this wonderful forum because it is drawing me near some kind of breakthrough to helping 'resource poor' smalholders in my region. You see, luckily enough local stations are very cooperative and willing when it comes to airing innovations to rural farmers. It all depends on the approach, clarity of the project and clear benefit matrix to both authority and its subjects - farmers.

About international broadcasts my worries are that local authorities failed to align their potential to improve local listeners farming occupation. The international broadcasts tried to air farmers content in a broader perspective as against practical approaches that narrows down to local community specifics. Moreover, it is usually a flash farmers programme of 15 minutes maximum per week by the international stations. While we are talking of about 60 minutes per day of farmers broadcast as minimum by local provider. But then the target communities are large in number and diverse,  different local resources, exposure, needs and capabilities.

The popularity of international broadcasts to farmers in my region is so enormous. In many instances local news reach local farmers via international broadcasts several hours in advance. Some local news never heard of through the local stations.

Thanks for all the resources links. Sure I am exploring possibilities in wider perspective. Will appreciate linkage to Joseph though.

Hmmn!, virtually several radio stations surely exist in my area but they all have weekly repeat farmers programme that either airs outdated information or too sophisticated unrealistic to make the desired impact. I think it doesn't make sense to broadcast new research finding on how to grow Irish potatoes in nutrient bag hanging in the air to a subsistent rural farmer who struggles to concur immediate local challenges of climate, globalization, ICT, free market to survive the day. So content of the broadcast is critical.The interactive radio programme is purely social or religious aired both through private and public stations.

Amy? are you aware that my area has the highest transistor listeners of international broadcasts such as BBC, VOA, Dutch Welly, Radio France, China radio, radio Iran, etc in the world?. That is one of my worries, that local authorities failed to tap this potentials for a coordinated agricultural extension and advisory broadcasts from the international stations even in partnership with local stations.

I am scanning resources emerging in this forum to enable me set up my own version of amateur radio programme for smallholder farmers in my region. The answer to your last question on stations' survival revolves around population of the consumer or users of the farmers output. In my own case that is no problem at all. We are talking about minimum of 20 million listerner farmers, users and consumers chunked in two states only.

Kindly put me through setting up the amateur farmers radio, the ICT devices I need including required software to use for streaming into a local radio station, IF THAT APPROACH WOULD BE PRACTICEABLE IN MY COUNTRY

It is quite obvious radio will always increase relevance and benefits of ICT devices such as mobile phone when it comes to improving the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers at least in rural sub-sahara west Africa, where pockets of isolated cases of connectivity and operational inept still exist amid enourmous justification to alleviating the problems. Unfortunately, smallholder farmers affinity to radio communication is grossly underrated as cheap effective tool for improved livelihood of the smallholder farmers because in many parts of the region say Nigeria private license for farmers radio is expensive and unforthcoming. In addition there is the issue of source and relevant content to broadcast that which will benefit the diverse farming comunities, fear of misuse of the radio service during political campaigns and limited frequency coverage. However, it is interesting now when I listen to interactive non-agricultural phone-in programme in state-owned radio involving rural people but yet the concept is not adequately employed to serve the agriculture sector. In Kano state for example, a fully equipped extension unit of World Bank Agricutlural Development Programme (ADP) has been upgraded to 'Farmers Radio' but the main issue is that of capacity enhancement of the outfit to tune in the radio services towards effective empowerment of the rural farming communities. This confirms that no matter how propsepctive the radio/mobile hybrid may be to smallholder farmers transformation still policy framework, training and investment remain major challenges.