There are now quite a number of experimental designs and RCTs (randomized controlled trials) of market information systems measuring revenue gained by rural agriculturalists (farmers, fishermen) and traders. While some show improvements to the prices farmers get for their crops, others disappointingly show a lack of impact. There are also Read more…
A warm welcome to visitors who’ve found their way to this page from the Catholic Relief Services ICT4D conference. To know more about the objectives of this 5+ year research project visit our about page. If you are involved in an ICT4D project in the domain of agricultural, markets, and Read more…
Reposting this entry from The Connectivity, Inclusion, and Inequality Group blog at the Oxford Internet Institute. (see the original post here and download the full report on connectivity and the tea sector in Rwanda) by Chris Foster Market information systems are growing in popularity as an intervention by governments, NGOs Read more…
In the absence of agricultural extension officers (paid by the government to disseminate information and expertise on farming), many farmers rely on the local seller of agricultural inputs for tips and advice on handling crop diseases and pests and dealing with other farming problems. Many new mobile phone apps propose Read more…
Our first comparative case bringing together findings from fieldwork (by Jenna Burrell and Elisa Oreglia) among rural farmers in Hebei and Shandong provinces in China and fishermen and fish traders at Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga in Uganda. The working paper is titled “The Myth of Market Price Information: Mobile Read more…
This post continues the conversation that was started here: Vulnerability, Markets, and Insurance in Ghana. There is a particular event that occurred during my fieldwork in Uganda that is a reminder of how lower-income populations may be prone to natural as well as cultivated risks. We met a second-hand apparel Read more…
Mobile market information systems for farmers: demand- or offer-driven? Market information systems (MIS) have become a very hot topic in development circles, with a wealth of private and public initiatives to bring market prices to farmers in developing regions via mobile phones. I am very intrigued and very curious about Read more…
A profile of a farmer whose main concern isn’t increasing profits, but being able to reliably predict his income. Read more…
The film “For the Best and for the Onion!” (2008) by Nigérien documentary fillmmaker Sani Elhadj Magori was screened last week at Stanford University as part of the summer film festival on “Feast to Famine: Global Politics of Food and Water” organized (in part) by the Center for African Studies. Market Read more…