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8Villages: A new social network app for smallholder farmers

Photo Credit: 8Villages.com

One of the new ICT solutions that I have discovered and love to share with agricultural commodity value chain implementers is 8Villages, a mobile platform that links farmers to their communities of peers, input suppliers, and their external business partners.

Below is a short discussion that I had with the Founder and CEO of 8villages Mathieu Le Bras, when I spoke to him on skype from Singapore this week:

Question: A social network app for farmers – what type of farmers are you talking about?

In his response, Mathieu who is an agronomist by profession with over 10 years of experience working with smallholder farmers in the developing nations was very confident of what his ICT solution is all about. His answer was yes, a social network platform for smallholder farmers.

Of course, the follow-up question was what is the literacy level of these smallholder farmers that you are talking about?

With the current focus of 8Villages solution on Asia, beginning from Indonesia, the CEO painted a bright picture about the literacy level of the targeted farmers which is in contrast to the situation in Sub-Saharan Africa. The Global Educational statistics shows that about 48% of Indonesians live in rural villages with around 42% of its labor force in agriculture. The interesting part of this statistics is that, most children in Indonesia have high literacy rate, with around 90% of adults able to read and write. The CEO confirms this that, a very high percentage of the users of the platform are able to read and write and are perfectly using the online platform.

That said, the literacy barrier may be overcome for the users of 8villages mobile platform.

My next concern was about content for the users. Mr Le Bras as an agronomist perfectly understands the importance of quality agricultural content for successful farming by the smallholder farmers. 8Villages according to the CEO, depends on user-generated content by the users of the platform. 8Villages then uses its platform to extracts and share the content with the potential users.

So how is this done? Mathieu described the system as an online network that combines voice, SMS and the Internet to connect farmers and their partners. The platform allows users – farmers and agribusinesses to generate microblog posts about their products, share brand comparison, give feedback on products and farming techniques, and attend trainings provided by experts.

On the nature of the existing social network among farmers, Mathieu argued that for most of these ICT solutions to work, developers and program implementers need to understand how farmers behave. He explained that smallholder farmers have strong and rich social network within their communities and these networks should be utilized when thinking of communication tools for the farmers.

For more information on why the platform, and the potential benefits to the users, visit 8Villages.

March 29, 2012/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Gambian ISP selects American 4G solution

Gambian internet service provider Netpage has selected American communications technology provider Airspan Networks to rollout their 4G network in Gambia.

American communications technology provider Airspan. (image: bikyamasr.com)

The network will operate on the 2.3 GHz frequency band, leveraging Airspan’s Air4G flagship macro base station. Air4G allows Netpage to offer customers high-level connectivity, unique features like MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output) and advanced antenna techniques. Expansion plans are already in place for nationwide coverage. Despite the competition, Netpage remains one of the top five ISPs in Gambia.

“Gambia has been very fortunate to avoid much of the economic turmoil experienced by the rest of the world, this stability has enabled us to leverage the economic situation and help deliver faster and more dependable internet connectivity to our country,” Netpage CEO Simon Abraham stated.

Netpage is providing customers with various devices like small indoor, desktop, self-install units, as well as outdoor units to maximise range.

Mohamed Abdel Salam

March 28, 2012/by actualize

Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Environment, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

ICTs and Smart Grids, the Perfect Union

Photo Credit: Inhabit

Energy consumption is ever increasing. Supply systems can’t keep up with the demand and are maxed out, causing blackouts, unreliable service and headache. There is limited distribution for rural areas and alternative sources are difficult to integrate into the existing network. How are we to provide energy to a growing and more connected world?

A smart grid is a digital electrical grid. It gathers, distributes, and acts on information through meters that communicate via a wireless mesh network in order to improve efficiency and sustainability of electrical services. Often smart grids can reduce peak demand, shift usage to off-peak hours, lower total energy consumption, and actively manage other usage to respond to solar, wind, and other renewable resources. It allows consumers to optimize the generation, transmission, distribution, and use of energy in a more efficient way. Smart grids are slowly being implemented across the U.S. and Europe.

As a broad concept, a smart grid is envisioned to have the following key characteristics:

Self-healing: The electricity grid rapidly detects, analyzes, responds, and restores power supply;
Digital technology: Two-way communications and ubiquitous metering and measurement enable finer control of energy flows;
Integration: The grid accommodates a variety of resources, including renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass and hydro), demand side management and efficient end-use,
Empowering: Incorporates EE consumer equipment and behavior in grid design and operation,
Power quality: The grid provides quality power consistent with 21st century consumer and industry needs,
Cyber security: The grid mitigates and is resilient to physical/cyber-attacks, and
Fully enables and is supported by competitive electricity markets

The development community has been slow at discussing and beginning to analyze the impact smart grids could have, perhaps because the outcomes can be varied. The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has suggested smart grids for Sub-Saharan Africa as a solution to the lack of access and increasing population. A smart grid could leapfrog elements of a traditional power system and offer where it was impossible before. It can also offer lower rates during off-peak hours, charging for energy consumption via mobile phone. USAID has signed a partnership for smart grid technology development with Russia and India.

The most exciting example of implementation for 2012 is that of Equador. Under the state-owned electric utility, Electrica de Guayaquil, Equador has installed a meter-to-cash smart meter system that uses Itron and Trilliant’s communication platform. The communication network manages energy loses accurately, measuring use and other applications like theft analytics.

March 9, 2012/by actualize

Connectivity, Originally posted on the GBI Portal

Morocco’s attractive broadband network

Morocco has a rather attractive broadband network

Morocco’s growing broadband network and an increase in competition for video has placed the region at the forefront for regional ICT investments.

“Whether it be VOIP providers, broadband Internet repackaging, or pay-TV installers, the smaller companies will be called to duty and therefore present a viable option for investors looking to capture a share of the projected $1.44-billion data segment by 2015, or other promising indicators,” says Majd Hosn, a telecoms analyst for Pyramid.

The North African country’s telecom sector revenue will see a 4.1% annual growth rate over the next five years. The telecommunications projections position the industry at $5.47-billion in 2015.

Moroccan communications ministry official Ibrahim Saeed told ITNewsAfrica that he is hopeful that these projections will maintain excellent prospects.

“We have worked hard to build a strong IT and telecom sector and hopefully Pyramid’s report will turn out true,” says Saeed.

“The leadership changes and popular uprisings that have spread in North Africa will take their toll on the stability and growth of Morocco,” adds Pyramid.

“However, (the country will) maintain a strong position compared to other Middle Eastern and North African communications markets.”

Jonathan Terry

July 18, 2011/by actualize