MIS for Government
A team from Mozambique’s Ministry of Science and Technology paid a visit to Ghana to learn from the source in terms of how a system based on mobile was developed and how such a system is being implemented for the benefit of the rural farmers and international traders alike. The experience, knowledge and philosophy are inputs for the conceptualization of the Mozambican system on agricultural price and market information. I was part of the team who went on this mission and I wanted to share my thoughts on the visit.
Working for a government institution I need a Market Information Systems for the same basic reason any project or business does—to collect and share information. But when you get down to the details our needs and deployment methods will be particular to us. We’ve learned that Esoko is agnostic, as any type of organization can use it.
For us, an additional advantage of Esoko is the price and market information database which is being stored and can be made available to the client any time they require and in the format that they determine. This database is a powerful source for research on market trends, forecast and policy decision-making. Doing such a project at National level would better equip research institutions and the government. For our particular deployment, I believe it will be important to have Government participating in the process as a sponsor and the owner of the data, then have that Government share data with research institutions or individuals.
A Visit to the Field
We had an opportunity to do a site visit at a farmers' association who were using Esoko. It was visible from the stories they have shared with us their happiness in using the system. Key issues mentioned were:
- they were saving time and money as they did not require more travel in order to get access to price information;
- currently, they were able to sell their products at the gate point, in their farms, by publishing and receiving offers or from the already built network established among farmers and traders. There was also a trust built between the farmers and traders as they have been producing based on their recommendations and from various crop certification courses attended;
- they have improved their quality of life as they were able to sell their products in a fair price and then could invest the incomes in health, education, etc.
Complexity of Deployment
The implementation of this project is even more complex than what I had previously thought. There is need of a functional machine in the background responsible for data collection, approval and publishing of the prices, networks creation, training, etc., which are not directly related to the technology but with the institutional organization.
I would point to a few main challenges, not in any particular order, to the use of the Esoko or any MIS system:
Finance. The implementation costs may be too high for ordinary farmers or farmers associations to cover the deployment costs. The approach of working with existing NGOs who are supporting the farmers is a strategy to get sponsors to cover the initial costs until farmers gain the confidence in using the system and understand the value of it.
Brokers that add value. Existing traders that are close to the farmers can build value in the commercialization value chain. Traders need to play a role of educating the farmers on production standards and quantities for each season. They better the market and they can be the exporting bridge for the farmers. For example, one trader informed us that they sometimes advance their money to the farmers to be able to farm certain crops with the required standards and quantity. These activities can strengthen the market.
Technology literacy and availability. Most of the rural farmers have low literacy when it comes to technology use as well as reading and writing. Also farmers are using different mobile handsets brands so each has its own particularity which requires training and monitoring.
Institutional organization. The implementation of Esoko requires a well-structured backup organization; people who will do the back office work and make the system available to organizations. This a project that requires partnership building so it must be a well known and reputed institution leading the process to be able to attract partners and mobilize resources. Also, the beginning stage requires some investment and it important that it be an institution who can have such funds available.
Problem identification and description. Each country and organization has its own particularities so the concept of the agricultural market information system will differ. It is important to define your problems and needs well so that you know where are going to put your efforts and what concept you will develop. The identification of these problems can actually be done through a deep study of the existing Esoko system to see how the platform is fit to address problems in agriculture. It is important to remember that the technology is the minor component here, and that the real challenge is the organization you will be putting in place to implement and manage the system.
I would like to use this opportunity to thank all the team for their hospitality and willingness to support and share with us their experience, knowledge and philosophy behind the mobile-based agricultural price and market information system.
Jamo Macanze
Maputo, Mozambique
