Use of mobile technologies for
empowering Small holder farmers in India
High-level Policy Dialogue on Technology Transfer for Smallholder
Farmers
Royal Hotel, Bogor, Indonesia, February 13, 2013
(ESCAP CAPSA)
Dr. K.D. Kokate
Deputy Director General (AE)
kdkokate@gmail.com
Indian Agriculture
Experiencing revolutions
Food grains - Green Revolution
Fruit / vegetable production - Golden Revolution
Fish production - Blue Revolution
Egg/Poultry Production - Silver Revolution
Milk Production - White Revolution
India has …
more than 17% of the world’s human and 11% livestock population
4.2% of the world’s water
2.4% of the world’s area
142 m ha cultivated & 60 m ha net irrigated area
137% cropping intensity
52% population earning livelihood from agriculture
16.6% contribution of agriculture in GDP
10.23% earning of total exports
Distinct Transitions:
Agricultural Era
Technology
Convergence
(21st century)
Biotechnology Era
(2000s)
Y = 4 t/ha..
* KBS
Green Revolution
(1970s)
Y = >1.5 t/ha,
HRD/ Technological
Breakthrough
Mechanization
(1960s)
Traditional
Farming
(Early 1900s)
Y = >1 t/ha,
Co-operatives
Y = >0.5 t/ha,
Land Reforms
Y = < 0.5 t/ha,
Feudalism
* Knowledge based Society
Context and Concerns
Food, Feed, Fodder, Fibre, Fuel…
More From Less For More
Stress Agriculture, Secondary
Agriculture, Specialty Agriculture
Agriculture-Food-Nutrition-HealthEnvironment-Employment
Skill for Smallholders
Market Access
Operational Holding in India
No. of Holdings : (‘000 Number)
Area Operated : (‘000 Hectares)
Average size: (Hectares)
No. of
operational
Area
Operated
Average size
of
2000-01
2000-01*
2000-01*
Marginal
75408
29814
0.40
(Less than 1 hectare)
(62.3)
(18.7)
Small
22695
32139
(1.0 to 2.0 hectares)
(19.0)
(20.2)
Semi-Medium
14021
38193
(2.0 to 4.0 hectares)
(11.8)
(24.0)
Medium
6577
38217
(4.0 to 10.0 hectares)
(5.5)
(24.0)
Large
1230
21072
(10.0 hectares and above)
(1.0)
(13.2)
119931
(100.0)
159436
(100.0)
Category of Holdings
All Holdings
1.42
2.72
5.81
17.12
1.33
Agriculture Science
Center -KVKs
KRCTO
Knowledge
KVKs - 631
Farming sys and
Production Sys
Agri. Technology
Markets (Demand
and Prices)
Policy
Tech.
Resources
Organize farmers
Exchange of
information
Facilitating learning
from experience
Support in decision
making
Critical
Technology
Products &
Problem Solving
consultancy
Seed, Saplings,
Bio-agents etc.
Frontier
technologies
KVK
Capacity Building
Infrastructure
Competency
Evaluating
Technologies
Market intelligence
Agro-logistics
Group dynamics
Threats and
opportunities
Mobile Extension
Telecom subscriber growth
Source : Telephone Regulatory Authority of India - 2012
Indian pilot projects in Agriculture domain
Project Name
Partners (with service option)
aAqua Mini
Agrocom (on GSM,CDMA)
mKrishi
TCS-Qualcomm (on GSM)
Fisher Friend
TATA Tele-Qualcomm-MS Swaminathan Foundation+
Astute Systems Technologies (CDMA)
Reuters Market Light (RML)
Reuter-MSAMB-India Post (on GSM, CDMA)
IFFCO Kisan Sanchar (IKSL)
IFFCO-Airtel (on GSM)
Life Tools
Nokia+ Idea+ RML (on GSM)
CERES
CERES+ Reliance (on CDMA)
KISSAN Kerala
PAN India based service
Sanchar Shakti
Universal Service Obligation Fund of
Telecommunication Department
aAqua Mini
Real time decision support tools to progressive
farmers developed by IIT, Bombay
Working on revenue generating business model
 Remote crop diagnostic solution
 Audio prompted guide application (in
English/Marathi/Hindi)
 Remote crop & land properties based disease
diagnostics
 Micro-weather info (temp, cloud cover,
precipitation)
 SMS enabled register & query mechanism
 Online poll for registered users
 Spam, search, rank features
Fisher Friend
M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) in
Tamil Nadu and Puducherry
Vital livelihood information to fisher folk.
Partnered with Qualcomm, Tata Teleservices and
Astute Technology Systems for developing the Fisher
Friend Mobile Application.
Single-button-click request from an icon-based
software module on mobile
Fishermen gain access to vital updates on wave
height, wind speed and direction, potential fishing
zones, news, government schemes and market prices.
m-Krishi Fisheries Advisory Service
mKrishi
Tata Consultancy Services’ (TCS) Mobile Agro
Advisory System (mKRISHI) connects farmers
Farmer to make a query in a local language from
a mobile phone
Private partnership based revenue generating
business model in Maharashtra and Uttar
Pradesh
Services : crop disease diagnosis; sensors
based remote land & crop property recording
Reuters Market Light (RML)
Up-to-date, local and customized commodity
pricing information,
News and weather updates
Working on public private partnership (PPP)
Revenue generating business model in
Maharashtra and Punjab states.
IFFCO Kisan Sanchar
Low cost telecom distribution channel through the
network of cooperative societies
Tied up with Airtel to build and offer a platform for
the farmers
NGO partnership based revenue generating
business model
Free daily voice updates on (market prices, farming
techniques, weather forecasts and fertilizer
availability)
General information like health, etc
Dedicated helpline for farmers to answer their
queries
Life Tools
For the consumers in small towns and
rural areas
Works on private partnership (PP)
Services : information on seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, weather and
prices in English, Marathi and Hindi
language
CERES
Exhaustive information covering all areas
Private partnership based revenue
generating business model in Gujarat
state
Services : information on seeds,
fertilizers, pesticides, disease and
farming input; market prices and weather
(micro-climatic, rain/storms, temperature,
humidity, precipitation, wind speed) on
weekly and monthly basis.
KISSAN Kerala
Multi-modal agricultural information
system
Advisory services for the farming
community across the state of Kerala
GIS based agro advisory
Integrated multi-component, multimodal delivery of Agriculture
Information Service system
Solves the problem of content gaps
Sanchar Shakti
Subscriptions to SHGs which are valid for
at least a year
The setting up of SHG run mobile and
modem repair centers in rural areas
The setting up of SHG run solar based
mobile phone
ICAR Kisan Mobile Advisory Services
Schedule for sending message
• Every Tuesday and Friday
• 2 message per farmer in a week.
• 104 message per farmer in a year.
Total expenditure per beneficiary / year
– Rs. 46.80
[
Neighbors Friends
Relatives
Selected Farmers Group-8000
[
[
[
Contact farmers
Selected Extension functionaries- 1900
Delivering KMS
through internet
[
Product buyers
Selected agro clinics & dealers-950
300 KVKs
(Voice Krishi Vigyan Kendra)
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
http://agropedialabs.iitk.ac.in/kvk
www.vkvk.in
About vKVK
Developed under project “agropedia”
Utilizes the available IT infrastructure for
providing agricultural information to the farmers
Aims at reducing the barriers in communication
between the farmers and experts at KVKs
vKVK services started with 24 KVKs of UP and
Uttarakhand, 5 in Karnataka and 1 in Andhra
Pradesh
Presently, the service has been rolled out in all 81
KVKs of UP and Uttarakhand along with 12 from
Karnataka and 2 from Andhra Pradesh
0512-3090900: कृषि वैज्ञानिकों
द्वारा उपलब्ध कराई गयी
जािकारी इस िंबर से दी जाती
है ।
मक्का में
बआ
ु ई के बाद
खरपतवार
नियंत्रण के
ललए ककस दवा
का निडकाव
करें ।
0512-3090902: इस नंबर पर
किसान अपने क्षेत्र िे िृषि षिज्ञानं
िेंद्र िे िैज्ञाननिो से सीधे संपिक
िर सिते हैं और अपनी समस्या
िा समाधान प्राप्त िर सिते हैं
Digital
Library
Certified
Content
(ज्ञाि धारा )
Co- Created
(जि ज्ञाि )
Social
Network
Deliverable Network
W to M
SMS
Knowledge
Network
Phase I
KvK- Net
E to F
M to M
Voice
F to E
E to E
E to F : Expert to farmer
Mobile
Upload
F to E : Farmer to Expert
E to E : Expert to Expert
vKVK - Agropedia
Phase
II
About vKVK Services
Three types of services are available on this platform:
1. Expert to Farmer (E2F)
2. Farmer to Expert (F2E)
3. Expert to Expert (E2E)
Expert to Farmer:
Registration of farmers by KVK on this
site
Message creation by experts
Delivery of messages to the farmers on
their registered number
Farmer to Expert
Registered farmers can directly interact with the
experts at KVK and discuss issues
Separate number allotted to this service
When a farmer calls, it is diverted to the experts at KVK
of the district to which farmer belongs
Initially launched in 4 districts of UP (Pratapgarh,
Saharanpur) and Uttarakhand (Bageshwar, Kashipur)
Expert to Expert
Expert can exchange the ideas
In case of epidemic in one pocket, others can be alerted
The general information and input availability etc can be
shared
Types of Messages
SMS
Can be created in 10 different languages
Message length is 160 characters
Low cost
Voice Messages
Experts create messages at KVK in their own voice
Duration of message is up to 1-3 minutes
Effective way of communication when farmers are
illiterate and can not read SMS in English language
Comparatively costlier than SMS
Presently, no charges are being taken from the
farmers for availing this service
Registered Number of Registered
KVKs
Expert
Farmers
States
Uttar Pradesh
68
68
7001
Uttarakhand
14
14
1433
Karnataka
13
13
10717
Andhra
Pradesh
2
3
773
97
98
19934
Total
http://agropedialabs.iitk.ac.in/extension
About KVK-Net
What is KVK-Net?
It’s a networking website for KVK experts.
Has various interactive tools like –blogs, discussion
board, chat etc.
To provide a platform to experts at KVKs for sharing
information & experiences.
Other features….
Recommend KVK- Net (Invite a friend)
Online chat
Private message
Multilingual editor
KVK Directory
Centralized Data
Communication System (CDCS) &
Computer-Telephony
Interface
Outreach in 823 villages
24 Hr
Helpline
Multi
Language
Support
No
Transport
Outgoing
Message
for
Members
Unmanned
attendant
KVK
Nandurbar
Farmers
Information
System
Incoming
Message
for
Standard
Procedure
Within
One
Minute
Message
Simultaneo
us access
to Multiple
Farmer
Farmer FIRST
Enriching knowledge integrating technology
Enriching Farmers –Scientist
interface
Technology Assemblage,
Application and feedback
Partnership and Institution
Building
Content Mobilization
Ensuring access of mobile advisory to small
farmers
Reduction in cost of handsets and delivery
charges
Availability of handsets with farmer friendly
applications and tools
Emphasis on authenticated content
Focus on two way communication
e-Smallholders for smart agriculture
Expansion in 550 districts involving 0.3 million
farmers –delivery of 10 voice and 10 text
messages @ Rs.7 /month/farmer
India in World Food Basket
Present Annual
Production, mt
Rank in the
World
Demand by
2020, mt
Food grain
260
III
284
Pulses
17.2
I
22
Oilseeds
30
V
68
Horticulture Produce
240
II
336
Milk
127
I
152
Meat
6.8
V
11
Eggs (billion no.)
65
III
88
Fish
8.4
II
12
Commodity
Exports: Rice 10 mmt, Wheat 2 mmt, Sugar 2 mmt, Cotton 2.2 mmt, Fish 0.8 mmt