AGFAX: November 2009
Agricultural advice by SMS
Nassir Rajab and Arthur Irungu: Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, KEPHIS and Maize farmer, Kageba, Kenya
Summary:
Investing in commercially sold seed, such as a hybrid maize variety, can substantially increase harvests. However, with many varieties of seed on the market, selecting the best one for the particular location can be difficult. In the past, extension officers may have been a good source of advice, but such services have been severely reduced in many countries. As an alternative, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) has launched an automated advice system based on text messaging. Winnie Onyimbo finds out more.
Suggested introduction:
Many farmers save seed from one harvest for the next season's planting. But, for those who can afford it, commercially-sold seed, such as hybrid varieties, can be more productive. However, with so many types of seed on the market, which should farmers choose?
In the past, local extension officers were able to recommend suitable varieties for different locations. Those kinds of advisors are thin on the ground. So now, the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service, known as Kephis, is trying a new way to give maize farmers the information they need. Farmers who want to plant maize can send an SMS text message to a database created by Kephis, and get an automatic response about the best varieties for their area.
Winnie Onyimbo finds out more by speaking to a farmer, Arthur Irunga, and first to Nassir Rajab, who works for Kephis. She begins by asking why they had decided to set up the system.
Tape in:
The main reason actually was...
Tape out:
...So it is very good.
Closing Announcement:
Arthur Irunga, pleased with the advice he received through Kenya's new SMS-based service.
Making the most of it:
What other ways can you discover of helping farmers to make the right choices - of seeds or other inputs? Find out other ways that mobile phone technology is good for agriculture. You could make a programme comparing farming life with and without mobile phones. And looking ahead, what else do farmers think phones could help them?
Further information:
Kephis Website - www.kephis.org/content/view/38...
Transcript
Rajab
The main reason actually was we had problems with farmers being able to access the right information about the right kinds of seed to plant. So we decided to do something that uses technology and something that would make it faster for the farmers to access that information from us. So that is why we went with SMS.
Onyimbo
Knowing how ICT can be complicated how does it work? Give me a step by step practical example of how it works? Who initiates it? Is it the farmer? Is it Kephis?
Rajab
What happens is that the farmer writes an SMS, writes 'maize' and then puts a hash (#), then gives their administrative division from which he or she requires the maize information. Then he or she sends to a number 2964. The message comes to our databases. The database responds by giving the farmer the varieties that actually are recommended for that particular division.
Onyimbo
Can it work for other seeds besides maize?
Rajab
Yes it can. Hopefully, resources being available, we will be able to expand to other seeds. Especially we are thinking about beans, wheat. We are thinking about sunflower, yes, in that order.
Onyimbo
What have been the biggest challenges?
Rajab
Literacy issues. Somebody being able to do it the right way. Being able to write maize, hash (#) then the division name. That is one. Two, we have not been able to keep pace with, you know divisions in Kenya have...............
Onyimbo
They increase everyday?
Rajab
..............so much. Three, the basic idea behind this SMS service is actually based on agro ecological zones. So you have the maize varieties being matched with the agro ecological zones. Now you find that in some divisions there is highland and then there is a very low place, like that. How do you advise them? We really wish that we could expand and refine the reply that comes, you see. But that again is a challenge because you need manpower, you need more people to come in. You need people permanently on the thing.
Onyimbo
Is this something that can be replicated in other developing countries?
Rajab
I believe so, especially given the rate at which mobile telephony is spreading in Africa. It is actually spreading very fast and it is something that even the most remote farmer can be able to get easily. And you know given the power of information and given that organisations have not been able to expand physically in terms of building offices and having manpower all over the place to advise farmers, this is the best way to do it actually.
Irungu
I normally plant maize and beans, cabbages and the like.
Onyimbo
Have you used the Kephis SMS variety service?
Irungu
I have just used twice.
Onyimbo
Why did you decide to use this service?
Irungu
Normally our soil has got so much acid. So I needed to know which maize can prosper in my area.
Onyimbo
Is it a difficult service to use?
Irungu
Well it depends with one's understanding. On my side it was not so difficult. It is just the same thing as you would send your own SMS.
Onyimbo
So would you say for somebody who has not gone to school, is it a service that can be easily used?
Irungu
Well it can't be used easily, because if it is in the rural areas those old mothers cannot use it because they just know only mother tongue. So they have to use somebody else for the purpose of language.
Onyimbo
How did you get them to respond to your SMS? What did you type? And then what kind of response did you get from them?
Irungu
Well I typed maize, then hash (#), then my division Kageba. Then I sent to 2964. Then within some few seconds I got the reply.
Onyimbo
And what did the reply say?
Irungu
I was given some varieties of maize and then I was told, if you want more, write M and then I sent to 2964. I did that.
Onyimbo
And did you also get to take in that advice and plant and these are the maize varieties that they had sent you?
Irungu
Yes I planted PAN15. Now it has germinated, it is up. Even my wife telephoned me to send her some fertiliser. When I used this fertiliser it is doing well. And now she told me it has germinated so properly and the squirrels have not uprooted the maize. So it is very good. End of track.
