david bergvinson

Leveraging Open Data for Ag Development April 30 2013 v2 BOS

ICTs for last mile delivery of best practice and

providing feedback loops to accelerate

agriculture development: Drawing on lessons

from China and Brazil.

David BergvinsonICT4Ag: the digital springboard for inclusive agriculture November 5, 2013


Upstream R&D

Adaptive Research

Input supply

Processing

Trading/ retail

Production & home

consumption

Consumers

GlobalSystems & Products

NationalSystems, Products & Scaling

GlobalSystems & Products

Know Your Customer: understand the needs of farmers to target research and value chain investments to improve productivity

© 2013 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 2April 15, 2023


Internet and mobile are creating an ever-increasing level of global connectivity

There are ~7 billion mobile phone subscribers in the world with ~1B in China, India (860M), Nigeria (101M),

Egypt (92M), SA (61M), Kenya (31M), Ethiopia (18M),

G8 range: USA (327M) Canada (26M)

Global mobile traffic now represents roughly 13% of Internet

traffic. (In 2009 it was only 1%)

Twitter has: 140M users

175M tweets per day300K new visitors each day

~55% female

Of the 29 million mobile subscribers in Kenya, 65 percent (19 million

users) are subscribed to mobile money services with total deposits


Source: GSMA; Worldbank; Twitter; 2012 Global Mobile Statistics http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/g

http://mobithinking.com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/g


Data and information is increasing at an astounding pace: what is useful in supporting farmers?

2.7 zettabytes created in 2012What does the Human Face of this Big Data look like?

Source: Economist http://www.economist.com/node/18226961; IBM “What is Big Data?” http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/bigdata/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K5d9ArRLJE&feature=player_embedded

http://www.economist.com/node/18226961



http://www-01.ibm.com/software/data/bigdata/


Hypothesis: Stitching currently disparate Big Data together enables us to offer integrated solutions: Power of location, time and unique identifiers

Soybeanchickpea

Cattle breeds

Microbiome

Unique identifiers enable integration and mining of genetic resources and std

ontology enables collaboration

Goal: Increase farm productivity, market opportunities, reduce risk, improve natural resources and nutrition


Location and time can stitch together diverse sources of information and support

delivery of farmer-specific information

Markets

Weather

Soils

Seeds

Financial services

(not exhaustive)

Systems Biology

Nutrition


Opportunity: gaining a deeper understanding of SHF needs and enabling factors and key stakeholders to leverage ICT4Ag

Most pressing SHF needsMost pressing SHF needs

Access to Ag knowledge/education

Access to inputs

K Knowledge Exchange S Spatial Resources G Genetic Gains

Enabling factors required to fulfill needsEnabling factors required to fulfill needs

Trained, accessible extension workers

Effectively managed extension system

K

K

Access to markets/market information

Physical access to markets

Access to price information (output) K

Title to land for investment security

Effective land tenure bodies (village level)

Physical mapping of land ownership

S

S

Access to finance

Access to financial institutions

Eligibility for loans (e.g. land as collateral)

K

S

Improved seeds matching farmer needs

Physical availability and affordability

Sufficient info about inputs1

G

K

Key stakeholdersKey stakeholders

Ministries and gov't bodies• Ministry of Ag, • Ministry of Trade• Met. Agency• Local Government Authorities

Ag R&D institutions• Universities• National Ag Res Systems• Internatinal Ag Res Systems

Non-profit sector• Farmer Associations• NGOs, e.g. AGRA,

Private sector service providers• Mobile Network Operators • Financial institutions

International organizations• World Bank• CGIAR• Donors (Gov. Agencies,

Foundations)

Location-specific weatherinformation

Data collected with adequate granularity

Data managed and processed effectively

Info distributed tailored to SHF needs K

S

S

© 2013 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | 6


Expand access to Ag knowledge/education through participatory video and radio, ICT-enabled extension support



Access to inputs

Access to finance

Content and DeliveryContent and Delivery

Pilot Digital Green video creation on basic Agronomic techniques (eg. planting, fertilizer and pesticide use, etc.)

Develop time- and location-specific video content based on weather and soil data



Knowledge PlatformKnowledge Platform

• Build open library of Ag radio programs for distribution via local radio channels

• Begin open library of farmer-generated Agronomic videos

Location-specific weather/ soil information

Shift to farmer-led video and radio content production, enabled by extension workers

Deliver individual location- and time-specific video distribution via mobile or internet-enabled devices

TimeTime

Year 1

Years 2-3

Years 4-6

• Strengthen extension worker creation and demonstration of Ag knowledge via 3G devices

• Link Ag video and radio content to farmer feedback

• Tailor video/radio program dissemination to soil and weather conditions

• Shift to farmer-to-farmer content production and dissemination with growth of 3G-enabled phones

• Link video and radio distribution to early warning systems

• Build capacity of extension workers to access Ag knowledge library

• Deliver extension training updates via Agronomic video

Strengthen extension worker training in advanced Agronomic techniques via mobile or internet-enabled devices

Broad dissemination of Ag knowledge via Farm Radio participatory programming

Expand Farm Radio programming with SMS-enabled farmer feedback, farmer helpline, weather alert system

Train extension officers in participatory video/radio production and demonstration

Farmer Radio Video ICT-Enabled Extension



Overview of ICT-enabled tools and organizational systems to support Ag development

HardwareHardware SoftwareSoftware Institutional CapabilitiesInstitutional Capabilities

Basic mobile handsets (2G)

Mobile plug-in sensors for soil analysis

Digital weather/market/soil information aggregation software

Automated connectivity-enabled meteorological stations

Laser-enabled high-altitude weather tracking system

Satellite-enabled weather tracking and land survey

Sta

tic

Da

ta

Co

lle

cti

on

Mo

bil

e D

ata

C

oll

ec

tio

n

Low-cost weather sensors (rain, wind, solar radiation, etc)

Big data analytic software for weather predictions, sequencing, soil analysis

SMS and internet based data input channel for online knowledge database (soil, weather, market information)

Da

ta D

eli

ve

ry

an

d A

cc

es

s

Internet-enabled mobile devices (smartphones, tablets)

SMS-based location and time-specific content delivery and alert system

Low-cost video production hardware

Low-cost data deliver e.g. White Space

Open Data platform management capabilities

SMS-based query and feedback software and IVR hotline system

Location and time-specific data tagging to enable tailored content delivery

Extension officer management and feedback system

Scanning software to digitize historical weather records

Internet-based Ag education access portal

Digital communication channels between R&D institutions, universities and Ministries

Data Collection Data Management Data Delivery China/Brazil/ tech User Feedback

Mobile broadband infrastructure (TV white space, 3G system)

Standardized data collection

Organizational capacity to drive effective data collection

ICT technical support / training

Institutional capacity to maintain weather / pest alert systems, IVR hotline system



April 15, 2023 © 2013 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation 9

Opening a world of opportunity

ICT4Ag: the digital springboard for inclusive agriculture


Strengthen access to location-specific soil and weather info by improving digital data capture and SMS-based forecast delivery



Access to inputs


Support digitization of national weather station data collection and reporting

Develop SMS- and radio-based forecast delivery via existing Ag info platforms




• Expand national weather and soil data collection network

• Link weather data to centralized weather tracking database

• Provide open access to soil database

11


Improve weather forecasting capabilities via computer data analytics training

Expand high-resolution weather and soil data capture through plug-in mobile data collection devices

TimeTime

Year 1

Years 2-3

Years 4-6

• Strengthen high-altitude weather collection and link to centralized tracking database

• Improve continental forecast capabilities via data analytics training

• Develop national SMS-based weather forecast delivery system via existing Ag info platforms

• Link satellite imagery (radar) to centralized database to improve forecasting ability

• Deliver location-specific recommendations on improved soil and input utilization

• Improve reliability and accuracy of weather forecast/alert system via SMS-enabled farmer feedback mechanisms

Improve location-specific weather forecast system via SMS-enabled farmer feedback

Support national weather and soil data collection via distribution of low-cost, connectivity-enabled sensors

Expand SMS-delivery system to include location-specific recommendations on input use based on national soil survey

Support digitization of historical weather data via high-volume scanning technology

Data Collection Data Management Data Delivery Role for Donors User Feedback

Access to finance


Improve access to existing market information platform via third-party access, SMS delivery and distributed info collection



Access to inputs


Strengthen Ministry of Trade capacity to manage market information platform

Develop national commodity exchange platform to facilitate transparent price info




• Ministry of Trade market information platform

• Provide open access to market price information via online portals

12


Develop SMS and radio-based market information distribution system in partnership with non-profit/private sector

TimeTime

Year 1

Years 2-3

Years 4-6

• Allow third-party access to market price database

• Develop national SMS-based market price delivery system leveraging existing Ag info platforms

• Allow Ag input producers and purchasers to upload data directly to knowledge platform

• Develop decentralized buy/sell market platform to facilitate farmer/market linkages

• Expand market price collection network to include direct farmer input, improve level of price granularity

Improve collection of market price information by extension officers with SMS and smartphone data entry tools

Expand market price data collection network to include direct farmer input

Support development of distributed farmer-to-farmer buy/sell platform


Support development of time and location specific market price information delivery

Access to finance


Improve farmer access to inputs by linking input providers directly to farmers via distributed buy/sell networks



Access to inputs


Support development of multi-stakeholder Ag info platforms, linking input providers to existing SMS-based info platforms

Develop SMS-based input use tracking system, to gather info on fertilizer and seed application and effectiveness




• Expand market price information platform to include input prices

• Link agro-input producers directly to market price platform to facilitate data collection

13


Develop centralized SMS/radio-based input price and location alert system to link farmers to local input markets

TimeTime

Year 1

Years 2-3

Years 4-6

• Strengthen multi-stakeholder information platforms to link info on input prices and availability, mobile payments and farmer yields

• Track use and impact of Ag inputs via SMS and link to research institutes to collect Ag best practices

• Support development of direct farmer-to-farmer and market-to-farmer platform via SMS and internet-enabled devices

Develop farmer-to-farmer feedback platform to facilitate transparency of input quality/price

Link agro-input producers to existing market information platforms to improve capture of input price data

Support direct market links between input providers and farmers via distributed mobile input order and payment system


Access to finance

david bergvinson

Technology

open data

ag development

v2 bos

disparate big data

bill melinda gates foundation

agriculture development

mobile subscribers

mobile money services