Economic Empowerment Through Information
background
problem
Since 2000
• 74% of agri-based pop emigrated
• 52% of entire state emigrated
• 29% of municipalities disappeared
(208 communities)
Zacatecas, Mexico
3rd most important agricultural state
- #1 in key foodstuffs (e.g., beans, chilies)
- Main industries – agriculture, mining
2nd poorest state
- Low per capita income
- Lack of sustainable livelihood
- Low growth rate: 0.1% (national: 1.13%)
Forced
Migration
http://nextlab.mit.edu/spring2009/zacatecas/
Information sharing among farmers,
traders, communities, gov’ts,
development practitioners
innovation
solution
simply sms:
857-205-1311
keyword
“query”
“have”
“quantity”
crop
tomato
grape
chili
# kg
Improved individual and
collective bargaining power,
better crop planning
environment
Internet independent
Kiosk independent
Farmer-to-farmer comms
Prices from non-gov’t sources
Extra-community info sharing
Indigenous languages
Purchasers + suppliers access
Best practices mechanism
Tip exchange
Open platform, extensible
(MEXICO)
Auction system that
directly connects
companies and farmers
SENEGAL) (TANZANIA) (KENYA)
Training Video
C2F functionality
Auction System
Survey Design
Initial Rollout
`
crop
info
c2f
auction
twitter
etc…
SCOPE
• Health
• Education
• Employment
ZACA API PLATFORM
community + team
Gantt Chart - Key zaca tasks
Farmer Assistance Tools – A comparison
e-Choupal Manobi
First Mile Drumnet
SMS AGGREGATOR
OTHER INDUSTRIES
• Fisheries
• Handicrafts
• Small holders in
mining, timber, etc.
DATABASE SERVER
future
(INDIA)
GEOGRAPHY
• States
• Countries
IMPACT
• Income increase: potentially 80%
• Econometrically– sound study
SIMPLICITY
• Simple technology (Java, Frontline SMS)
• Open source
• Extensible
• Low cost
competitors
Functionalities
scalability
See Jensen’s “The Visible Hand(set)”
argument
zaca
GRAVE IMPLICATIONS
FOR ALL OF MEXICO AND
BEYOND
Fundraising
zaca is farmer-originated
zaca is locally driven (ITESO, UNAM, PC, etc.)
zaca has already earned farmers’ trust
zaca was incubated @ MIT Media Lab’s Next Lab
zaca is all about technology transfer/adaptability
zaca has a high ROI
Auction Contracts
US-based: G.A.P. Groesbeck (lead), Chizoba Nnaemeka, Ehsan Hoque, Eric
White, Joshua Hayes, Scot Frank
Recruit Agents
M2F Functionality
Dec-04 Jan-05 Feb-05 Mar-05 Apr-05May-05May-05 Jun-05 Jul-05 Aug-05 Sep-05 Sep-05 Oct-05 Nov-05 Dec-05
Completed
Remaining
Mexico-based: Francisco Valenzuela (lead), Pablo Valadez, Priscilla Rivera,
Sofía Reyes y Martínez
GIVING FARMERS A FIGHTING CHANCE
Transforming the Rural Economy in Zacatecas through Mobile Technology
US team: Geoff Groesbeck (lead), Ehsan Hoque (Systems Architecture), Koji Omae (Sustainability), Rakesh Sahu (Operations), Scot Frank (Software)
Mexico team: Francisco J. Valenzuela A., J. Pablo Valadez V., Priscilla Rivera G., Sofía Reyes y Martínez M.
Project URL: http://nextlab.mit.edu/fall2008/thefightingfarmers/
System Architecture
Farmers
1. Query market information (via Java-enabled SMS [Frontline])
2. Receive via SMS
Zaca technology and POC videos:
http://vimeo.com/4545028 – technology/operability presentation
http://vimeo.com/4258206 – initial team visit/training presentation
http://vimeo.com/4968121 – onsite field work presentation
Operations
Jan 2009
Trial Operation
6
May 2010
3-5 years
Full Operation
Matured
# Farmer Communities
US$2,000/yr
US$3,000/yr
700 (Covering all
Zacatecas State)
US$4,000/yr
Project operating cost (supported by private investment)
US$300 for 3 months
US$5,000/yr
Agents (or farmers)
1. Register farmers’ data
2. Update crop data every season