How You Can Leverage the Power of Mobile for Sustainable and Measurable Impacts in Your Agricultural Project

In the second online seminar of the ICT4Ag Community of Practice, Lukas Borkowski — Madagascar Country Manager at Viamo, a mobile engagement consultancy — and GIZ’s Paul Cronjaeger discussed how you can use cost-effective mobile solutions for a bigger, faster and more efficient impact of your project.

“Mobile-to-mobile interaction is only 5% of the cost of traditional outreach — and rural beneficiaries are ten times more likely to engage in two-way conversation over automated voice-based communication (IVR) versus SMS””

The World Bank

The power of mobile

Today most Africans have access to mobile phones. Mobile technology quickly delivers to rural smallholder farmers and other clients such as MSMEs with information that is critical for investments, production and marketing decisions. Governments, NGOs and the private sector can collect important field-level information for their decision-making and planning. Smartphones and apps are often seen as the best way to reap these benefits, and there are numerous examples of their successful use in rural development projects.

However, mobile solutions that make use of simple mobile phones are more sustainable given that smartphones and mobile data are still prohibitively expensive for most Africans. Through the use of apps, IVR and SMS, it is possible to engage beneficiaries that have any kind of phone, and mobile rewards project staff and field managers with rich data and timely insights for their M&E.

Is this relevant to you?

This webinar is designed for project staff and decision-makers in agricultural and rural development projects interested in innovating agricultural extension and advisory services, data collection, and behavior change communication. The webinar does not require prior experience in mobile communications.

What will be your takeaway?

You will learn how you can use cost-effective mobile solutions to achieve bigger, faster and more efficient impact in your project. This discussion will be led by Lukas Borkowski, Viamo’s Country Manager in Madagascar.

Viamo is a leading social enterprise in global mobile for development, with more than ten years of mobile engagement experience and offices in more than 25 countries in Africa and Asia.

Lukas, whose experience includes working with GIZ, will walk you through applied case studies from across Africa, including one that will be presented by Paul Cronjaeger, Technical Advisor with GIZ’s More Income and Employment in Rural Areas Program in Malawi. The two will discuss with you the benefits of having an integrated mobile engagement strategy for your project.

The main presenter

Lukas Borkowski, Country Manager, Madagascar

The co-presenter

Paul Cronjaeger, Technical Advisor, GIZ Malawi