Mobile Applications for Agriculture and Rural Development
The dynamic growth of mobile communications technology is creating opportunities for economic growth, social empowerment, and grassroots innovation in developing countries. One of the areas with the greatest potential impact is in the contribution...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2015
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/05/24442715/mobile-applications-agriculture-rural-development http://hdl.handle.net/10986/21892 |
| Summary: | The dynamic growth of mobile
communications technology is creating opportunities for
economic growth, social empowerment, and grassroots
innovation in developing countries. One of the areas with
the greatest potential impact is in the contribution that
mobile applications can make to agricultural and rural
development (ARD), by providing access to information,
markets, and services to millions of rural inhabitants. For
both agricultural supply and demand, mobile phones can
reduce waste, make delivery more efficient, and forge closer
links between farmers and consumers. This report provides
policymakers and development practitioners with a guide that
facilitates the development and deployment of mobile
applications for ARD. It also informs their understanding of
the key drivers for promoting such applications and services
in their countries. Using James Moore’s (1996) revised
definition of ecosystems: economic communities based on
interacting organizations and individuals the report
identifies a wide range of players in the ecosystem for
m-ARD apps, such as mobile network operators, m-app (mobile
applications) providers, content providers, and various
types of users. M-apps are software designed to take
advantage of mobile technology and can be developed for
technology besides mobile phones. But mobile phones have
many key advantages: affordability, wide ownership, voice
communications, and instant and convenient service delivery.
As a result, there has been a global explosion in the number
of m-apps, facilitated by the rapid evolution of mobile
networks and by the increasing functions and falling prices
of mobile handsets. M-apps are markedly different in
developing countries because they typically run on
second-generation (2G) phones rather than smartphones, which
are far more common in developed countries. The report
reviews country examples and extracts policy lessons and
good practices. It also presents detailed studies of cases
from Kenya, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, as well as
summarizes 92 case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin
America. The goal is to provide a comprehensive
understanding of the development impact, ecosystem, and
business models for mobile applications in ARD. The report
is intended to complement the recent ICT in Agriculture
eSourcebook. One of the main findings is that an enabling
platform (or platforms) is probably the most important
factor for the development of m-ARD apps. Platforms can
facilitate interactions among ecosystem players, increase
access to users, provide technical standards, and
incorporate payment mechanisms. |
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