A business model for delivering information to smallholder farmers: RUNetwork

Founder of RUNetwork, Marc Bernard (left) explaining the model

As the hype for integrating new information and communication technologies (ICTs) into agricultural value chain projects increases, one of the common questions that ICT4D analysts often try to answer is, who pays for the service – the poor farmer, the project, the government, or a donor agency?

Payment for information services to farmers is one of the components of a business model for deploying ICT solutions to rural agricultural communities. A business model, however, goes beyond just the cost of the service to the user, to the sources of funding of the service, avenues for income generation, the value of the service to the user, the potential to scale beyond pilot stage, and the capacity to sustain itself after the initial funds runs out. Business models are seen as systems that organizations use to create, deliver, and capture value.

The clip below describes how Rural Universe Network (RUNetwork) uses a voucher system to answer some of these important questions in its bid to bridge the gap between smallholder farming and scientific research.

As you watch, try to identify how RUNetwork creates value to the users of the service; how the system generates revenue for operation; who pays for the services being provided; how is the system being scaled; and how is the service sustained?

The model was successfully tested in 5 different countries and scaled up to 14 communities all over Uganda. It is presently introduced in another 15 African countries in a collaborative project between the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE Germany) with financial support from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

For more information on RUNetwork, visit here.

March 26, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Extension Service, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

eRAILS2, FARA’s push to better inform farmers

The Ghana-based Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) will form a Knowledge Management Service (KMS) in the second phase of its eRAILS platform. The technology is an information system that mobilize farming communities and farmer advisory service providers to generate questions so that agricultural experts can provide actionable responses.

The second phase of the FARA initiative, eRAILS2, will focus on content management. The research institute says this should speed-up the flow of information from agricultural experts to farmers by eliminating intermediaries.

The KMS phase of the project is widely seen as an opportunity to improve the agricultural sector in a myriad of ways, particularly through better data collection. Improved data collection processes will give scientists and policymakers a better understanding of the farming communities’ needs. This should result in better policies and programs, including early warning systems and impact assessment processes across the agricultural sector. This also bodes well for efforts to promote more targeted decision making, as agricultural management is localized.

Learn more about FARA’s effort to launch the second phase of the eRAILS project here.

eRAILS is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB).