robert fitzgerald, phd

For the last three years I have been working with my colleague, John Spriggs, on agricultural development projects in Cambodia. John is an agricultural economist who has over the last few years been applying participatory action research methods to improving agricultural marketing systems in developing countries (Cambodia and Papua New Guinea). My background is in technology and education with an interest in the application of robust technologies to help users communicate and work together. Originally, John invited me to join him on his project to explore ways we could use communications technologies to the improve the marketing system for maize and soy bean farmers in western Cambodia. From our early workshops in Battambang, Cambodia, we identified poor communications as one of the key constraints to improving the marketing system. At that time I had been developing an interest in mobile communications particularly the application of sms and was following closely the work of the Pinoy Internet Famers project.

(An early work workshop in 2006 with traders and farmers, Battambang, Cambodia)

Following that initial workshop we presented a proposal to Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) for a year’s extension to John’s project to develop the Electronic Marketing Communication System (EMCS). During that project we used a propriety system, Infotxt (developed in the Philippines) to run a sms server from the Price Division of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) in Phnom Penh. A price officer collected price data each week and used this to update the server. The trial was very successful and the information on demand system allowed a user to text specific keywords and that would return price information. We conducted a number of training sessions in 2007 and later that year the Cambodian People’s Party endorsed the EMCS as a significant agricultural innovation in Cambodia.

(SMS training: Three generations of users)

During 2007 we worked closely with Pieter Ypma from CAMIS and for a number of months they used our EMCS system to sms-enable their web-based price database. In early 2008 our project concluded and we handed the server across to the MOC.

New Project

In April 2008 we secured a new project (ASEM/2006/130) under the direction of Bob Martin. The main project team includes Rob Fitzgerald (University of Canberra), Bob Farquharson (University of Melbourne), John Spriggs (University of Canberra) and Andrew Higgins (CSIRO). The Australia-based collaborators in the project are the University of New England (UNE), the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), The University of Canberra (UC) and CSIRO. Collaborators in Cambodia are the Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), the Maddox Jolie Pitt foundation (MJP) and CARE International. The Provincial Departments of Agriculture in Battambang and Pailin are engaged via MOUs and secondments with MJP and CARE.

The project is focussing on production and marketing problems faced by poor smallholder farmers in northwestern Cambodia. While still a comparatively fertile area, over the last 10 years crop yields have been declining and soils are being degraded by excessive cultivation and burning. Much of the crop development has been largely driven by market demand in Thailand however local farmers are disadvantaged by lack of market information, inadequate post-harvest technology and transport infrastructure. The overarching aim of the project is to improve the functioning of the production – marketing system for maize and soybean in north-western Cambodia as a key to increasing cash income, sustainable growth and poverty reduction for smallholder farmers. We have established eight village clusters, four in the district of Samlaut (a protected area containing the last remnants of tropical rainforest in Cambodia) and four in the municipality of Pailin (a previously heavily forested area known for its gem mining). Farmer workshops have been investigating key socio-economic issues related to adoption of the improved crop technologies and improving land use. Village level workshops have worked on gross margin and partial budgets to examine return on investments for various production technologies and discussed access to marketing information

FrontlineSMS

Building on the previous project we wanted to extend our sms work to both the production and marketing system. After a number of months of evaluation we selected FrontlineSMS as the platform for our sms work. Ken Banks has written about it in Cambodian farmers turn to their phone, MobileActive.org covered it in Frontline SMS Review and the Internet & Democracy Project at Harvard University blogged it in Frontline SMS Launches New Version, Continues to Foster Change.

In February 2009 we setup two FrontlineSMS servers. The first with the newly formed The Northwest Agricultural Marketing Association (NAMA) in Pailin with particular focus on the provision of information (rated top priority by members) and the exchange and sharing of silo association price and market information. A second server was installed with in Battambang with particular emphasis on basic market information and health alerts.

In June 2009 we further refined the systems and NAMA is focusing on:

* NAMA broadcast messages to members

* Maize, Soy Bean and Cassava price Information

* Seed and fertiliser (input) costs

(NAMA FrontlineSMS server: Robert Fitzgerald with Moul Sam who runs the server)

Farmers, mobile phones and market information

In a recent survey of farmers from two villages in the Pailin area, we found mobile phone ownership was about 40% with an average airtime cost per month of about $13 USD. Farmers reported their business use of the phone varies seasonally but on average they report a minimum of 50% business use increasing to 100% during peak production times such as planting.

(Local farmers at recent field day in Pailin)

In a large group discussion farmers reported their main source of market information comes from the local village middleman and while they have a degree of confidence in this information, they believe the information can be quite variable. They supplement this local information by talking to their friends and listening to national TV/Radio broadcasts. Farmers said they want additional and more regular price information so that they can make better comparisons. In addition to prices they want to know the current costs of inputs (e.g. seed and fertilizer) and contact details of traders in the area. None of the farmers said they regularly use sms at the moment but all were keen to try if they had training - many said they would ask their children for help. At one of training sessions back in 2007, a farmer who had been struggling to use his phone called his 14 year old son for assistance. The young man arrived a few minutes later on his moto and spent the next hour helping his Dad and others to use their phones. The kids are keen as can be seen from these three local children (below) who were very interested in the Bubble Breaker game on my phone.

(The future)

While the our initial data suggests mobile phone use is quite high amongst farmers we will be working to develop a buddy system to ensure that farmers are part of a social network where at least one member has access to a mobile phone.

Future SMS applications

While our sms servers are still in the early days of use we are exploring other sms-based information systems such as Geochat (see my recent post) from InSTEDD and mhits– an innovative sms-based micro-payment system developed in Australia by Harold Dimpel.

Volunteers/Interns needed

In recent conversations with both MJP and InSTEDD we have been exploring the possibility of establishing intern programs to encourage volunteers work with us. Some good work is already underway by volunteers. Oum Vatharith from Phnom Penh is already working on a Khmer translation of FrontlineSMS and I have talked to him recently about the development of FrontlineSMS user manual in Khmer. We will be looking for volunteers in the form of software developers and IT savvy community/education development folk who are interested in working with these leading NGOs to help ensure that we realise the potential of technology to make a difference to peoples lives.

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