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Overview day 2

Page history last edited by Tony Murray 13 years, 5 months ago

Day Two Report

Download in PDF format

Table of Content

 


Report Day Two

Defining the context: sustainable service models

Sustainability

The definition and issue of sustainability figured prominently during the exchanges between participants as they reflected on the issues involved in developing service models that offered consistency and durability. The creation of business models capable of supporting the establishment and operation of mobile ICT services in the interests of rural development stimulated discussion around the issue of the involvement of the private sector. Initial and running costs and the potential for scaleability required stable and dynamic source of funding.


Overcoming funding limitation

Donor funding it was recognized could not be relied upon in the long term although – like the support of CTA – could play an important role in providing support for the development of service model initiatives. Critical to the issue of private sector involvement – whether or not in the context of a multi-stakeholder (including public sector) constellation – was the need to clearly define standards, ethics and criteria for involvement. The importance of the policy environment in which initiatives too place was stress. It was pointed out that organisations such as the African Union had already set targets for stimulating ICTs in development.


Business models

Ideas for business models that could deliver regular income were discussed extensively. These included income derived from agricultural projects, direct payment for service, subscriptions and – in the case of community radio for example – revenue derived from advertisements.


Identification of target group

The identification of mobile service and the issues surrounding their establishment and operation were inseparable from a clear and realistic identification of the target group and the particular niche a service was expected to fill. Careful consideration of the content to be transmitted was needed before applications were selected. Considerations of literacy, poverty, group productive capacity etc had to be taken into consideration. Whilst there was a wide range of potential ICTs their successful integration and employment in real world situations required these factors be taken into consideration. Knowledge management required skill and involved costs while accessing and distributing local content requires careful organization.


Learning and familiarization

The necessity to create receptive environment for the introduction of new mobile devices and tools was also discussed in detail. Training and programmes of supportive learning were necessary to enable target groups to familiarize themselves with the functionality of the devices being introduced into their community and to ensure they were able to use the optimally to access needed information.

Access, take-up and impact

Once services had been established and were operational it was essential that consideration be given to issues of access, take-up and impact. In particular care should be taken to see how services were being used.


Overview of some tools used by Observatory participants

Observatory participants reported on mobile tools and devices that had a positive impact of their work. The desert locus service in Oman benefited from e-locus tool provided by FAO that enabled field workers to report accurately and timely on locust movement. From the Caribbean CaFAN discussed the ongoing process of establishing a network organization based on country focal groups and the challenges of setting up services able to support local and regional marketing system. CaFan stressed the importance of ensuring the voices of farmers were heard in this process.

Other experiences shared included the use of radio to support question and answer services where complex information had to be discussed and transmitted and also the importance of SMS and email in these services. On-line databases and articles important in providing answers to question but raise question of the cost of retrieving this type of materials. The experiences of Wognet in Uganda with Google was extensively discussed in relation to the planned identification, collection, transmission and storage (on audio) of information farmers need..


Documenting experiences and storing information are activities that are frequently ignored
. More attention is needed to highlighting best practices in this area. There are frequently technical barriers to the recording and archiving of materials that could – if more widely disseminated – have a positive impact on development and agricultural practices. The development of the Talking Box – an audio internet - with its straight forward and practical functionalities offered considerable potential in overcoming some of the problems associated with documentation and access.


Recognizing the challenges and factors involved in initiating service delivery: proposals
Whilst the morning session had concentrated on the current experiences of Observatory participants with initiating, adapting and managing the information, technical and financial aspects of combinations of mobile tools and application most appropriate to their activities, the afternoon session challenged participants to explore the different stages involved in setting up and sustaining effective development orientated. This involved clear identification of target group and other stakeholders; a careful description of the objectives of the initiative the service applications and technical and organizational models most appropriate to the proposed initiative and – most importantly a reflection on the type of business model that would ensure the successful and sustainable implementation of the proposal.

 

Blips

 

Simulating a mobile/wireless service for agriculture: Reflections on the process

Reflecting on the second day on the 2009 CTA ICT Observatory
 


Designing sustainable service models

 

 

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