ict in agriculture - Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation

SECTION 1 — OVERVIEW OF ICT IN AGRICULTURE: OPPORTUNITIES, ACCESS, AND CROSS-CUTTING THEMES 15
Module 2: MAKING ICT INFRASTRUCTURE,
APPLIANCES, AND SERVICES MORE
ACCESSIBLE AND AFFORDABLE IN
RURAL AREAS
IN THIS MODULE
MICHAEL BARRETT (University of Cambridge) and MIRA SLAVOVA (International Food Policy
Research Institute)
Overview. What are “accessible” and “affordable” information communication technologies (ICTs)? What general policy
strategies, infrastructure, technology, and business models mediate ICTs’ accessibility and affordability? Partnerships among
organizations with different specialties, capacities, and profit motives are key to improving access and affordability. The task
of regulation policy is to keep pace with technological developments and reduce inequalities within countries while maintaining
sound business reasoning within the telecommunications sector. Policy interventions must consider ICTs and their users
as a socio-technical system through which equitable access to ICTs translates into sustainable benefits for rural residents.
Topic Note 2.1: Making ICTs Affordable in Rural Areas. In developing countries, infrastructure, appliances, and services
influence the delivery of affordable ICTs. What wired and wireless infrastructure can improve domestic backbone
and “last mile” connectivity in rural areas? What tradeoffs exist between quality and quantity of service? What devices
appear most adaptable to the needs of rural users? Finally, how can services benefit from synergies among network
infrastructure, connectivity modalities, access devices, and content?
Topic Note 2.2: Public Innovations in Universal Access to Telecommunications. It is within the domain of government
to provide innovative methods for access to ICTs in rural areas. Public agencies help develop infrastructure where
incentives for private investment are insufficient; public policy encourages demand for telecommunications through such
mechanisms as universal access/universal service funds or support for low-cost devices.
� Passive Infrastructure Sharing in Nigeria
� Turkey’s Oligopolistic Infrastructure Sharing Model
� Dabba’s Experience with Unlicensed Wireless Services in South Africa
� Bhutan’s Community Information Centers Adapt to the Geographical and Consumer Context
Topic Note 2.3: Mobile Money Moves to Rural Areas. In developing economies worldwide, companies deliver financial
services and new sources of income outside of conventional bank branches, through mobile phones and nonbank
retail agents. Mobile financial and income-generating services cost little and operate on all handsets, making them advantageous
on a large scale, even in more remote rural areas.
� M-PESA’s Pioneering Money Transfer Service
� Zain Zap Promotes Borderless Mobile Commerce
� Pakistan’s Tameer Microfinance Bank for the Economically Active Poor
� Txteagle Taps a Vast Underused Workforce
Topic Note 2.4: Delivering Content for Mobile Agricultural Services. New services offer critical information for farmers
to improve their livelihoods. The technical aspects of delivering content and services that rural users value are influenced
by the partners engaged in providing the service, the regulatory environment, business model, and the networks,
infrastructure, and devices available.
� First Mover Advantage Benefits Reuters Market Light
� Long Experience in Farm Communities Benefits Indian Farmer’s Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO)
Kisan Sanchar Limited
� Farmer’s Friend Offers Information on Demand, One Query at a Time
ECONOMIC AND SECTOR WORK