Mobile Applications for Agriculture and Rural Development

The dynamic growth of mobile communications technology is creating opportunities for economic growth, social empowerment, and grassroots innovation in developing countries. One of the areas with the greatest potential impact is in the contribution that mobile applications can make to agricultural and rural development (ARD), by providing access to information, markets, and services to millions of rural inhabitants. For both agricultural supply and demand, mobile phones can reduce waste, make delivery more efficient, and forge closer links between farmers and consumers. This report provides policymakers and development practitioners with a guide that facilitates the development and deployment of mobile applications for ARD. It also informs their understanding of the key drivers for promoting such applications and services in their countries. Using James Moore’s (1996) revised definition of ecosystems: economic communities based on interacting organizations and individuals the report identifies a wide range of players in the ecosystem for m-ARD apps, such as mobile network operators, m-app (mobile applications) providers, content providers, and various types of users. M-apps are software designed to take advantage of mobile technology and can be developed for technology besides mobile phones. But mobile phones have many key advantages: affordability, wide ownership, voice communications, and instant and convenient service delivery. As a result, there has been a global explosion in the number of m-apps, facilitated by the rapid evolution of mobile networks and by the increasing functions and falling prices of mobile handsets. M-apps are markedly different in developing countries because they typically run on second-generation (2G) phones rather than smartphones, which are far more common in developed countries. The report reviews country examples and extracts policy lessons and good practices. It also presents detailed studies of cases from Kenya, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, as well as summarizes 92 case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the development impact, ecosystem, and business models for mobile applications in ARD. The report is intended to complement the recent ICT in Agriculture eSourcebook. One of the main findings is that an enabling platform (or platforms) is probably the most important factor for the development of m-ARD apps. Platforms can facilitate interactions among ecosystem players, increase access to users, provide technical standards, and incorporate payment mechanisms.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Qiang, Christine Zhenwei, Kuek, Siou Chew, Dymond, Andrew, Esselaar, Steve
Format:	Report biblioteca
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2012-05
Subjects:	COMPUTING DEVICES, MOBILE APPLICATIONS, FINANCIAL SERVICES, ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS, E-MAIL, EQUIPMENT, CUSTOMER, MATERIALS, SEARCH, INTERFACES, GOVERNMENT FUNDING, INFORMATION FLOWS, VIDEO, MONITORING, ISP, CONSULTANTS, TRANSMISSION, CAPACITY BUILDING, STORAGE FACILITIES, TRACEABILITY, PRICE, JOINT VENTURES, CREDIT CARD, MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, CASH FLOWS, E-GOVERNMENT, COMPUTER, COMMUNICATIONS, DATA, ADVERTISING, BUSINESS PARTNERS, COMMERCE, INFORMATION SERVICES, CUSTOMIZATION, TARGETS, INTEGRATION SOLUTIONS, MOBILE NETWORK, CONTENT PROVIDERS, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, BUSINESS SERVICES, BUYERS, INFORMATION SERVICE, CONSULTANT, WIRELESS DEVICES, WEB, PENETRATION RATE, E-MARKETPLACE, MATERIAL, RFID, EMPLOYMENT CREATION, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, TRANSACTIONS, PROJECT MANAGEMENT, BROADCAST, HUMAN CAPITAL, MARKET POTENTIAL, BUSINESS OPERATIONS, INSPECTION, PROCUREMENT, BUSINESS PLAN, GLOBAL MARKET, FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS, PAYOUT, IMPACT ASSESSMENTS, SOFTWARE, BEST PRACTICES, CELLPHONE, MARKET PRICES, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, MOBILE PHONE, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES, GPS, ELECTRICITY, SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE, RURAL ACCESS, KNOWLEDGE WORKER, NETWORKS, CELLPHONES, FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPMENT, INFORMATION PROVIDERS, GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS, PRIVATE SECTOR, EMAIL, ELECTRONIC DATA, SUPPLY CHAIN, BROWSERS, NEW MARKETS, QUERIES, INFORMATION PROVISION, SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS, RESULT, MENUS, ICT, MANAGEMENT SERVICES, SUPPLY CHAINS, BUSINESS, BUSINESSES, PHONES, COMMERCIAL BANKS, TYPES OF USERS, PERFORMANCE, REVENUE MODEL, FUNCTIONALITY, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, COMMUNICATION, PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS, SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, ONLINE BANKING, COMMODITIES, COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, PAYMENT SYSTEMS, EGOVERNMENT, SERVER, MIDDLEMEN, UNIVERSAL SERVICE, FINANCIAL BENEFITS, BUSINESS ACTIVITIES, NEW MARKET, DATA ENTRY, CREDIT CARDS, SUPERVISION, MARKET RESEARCH, INFORMATION SYSTEM, RADIO STATIONS, BUYER, DATA RATES, VALUE CHAIN, MOBILE  PHONE, FINANCIAL RESOURCES, CONSUMER GOODS, PAYMENT SYSTEM, INFORMATION, JOINT VENTURE, SUPPLY CHAIN INTEGRATION, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS, MENU, E-MAIL MESSAGES, BUSINESS MODELS, MARKET INFORMATION, BROADCASTS, ENABLING ENVIRONMENT, SATELLITE, TELEVISION, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, QUERY, INSTITUTIONS, MARKET SEGMENT, LINK, COMPUTERS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, PHONE NUMBER, BUSINESS TO BUSINESS, CELL PHONE, MOBILE APPLICATION, FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION, PRODUCTIVITY, FINANCING PLANS, MARKETING, PRIVATE INVESTMENT, AUTOMATION, SERVICE PROVIDER, LINKS, PAYMENT METHODS, INFORMATION NETWORK, PAYOUTS, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, CUSTOMER SERVICE, PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, E- GOVERNMENT, CALL CENTER, DATABASES, EXPORT MARKET, APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT, MOBILE SERVICE, APPLICATION PROGRAMMING, RADIO, DEBIT CARDS, BROADBAND, CAPABILITIES, ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS, TELEPHONE, DIGITAL DIVIDE, MARKET PRICE, ACCESS TO INFORMATION, GOVERNMENT SERVICES, USERS, PHONE, TECHNOLOGY, EGOVERNMENT PROJECTS, TRANSACTION, PROTOTYPES, OPERATING SYSTEM, SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT, CUSTOMER LOYALTY, COMPUTER SCIENCE, FRAUD, RESULTS, INFORMATION DATABASE, MOBILE SERVICES, MOBILE NETWORKS, UNIVERSAL ACCESS, MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS, PERSONAL DATA, SECURITY FEATURES, BROADBAND NETWORKS, PRICE INFORMATION, NICHE MARKET, IMAGES, MARKET SEGMENTS, ADMINISTRATION, GENERAL PUBLIC, OPERATING SYSTEMS, CELL PHONES, MARKET SHARE, SECURITY, B2B, NETWORK, SOFTWARE SUITE, CENTRAL SERVER, INSPECTIONS, TELECOM, INNOVATION, CERTIFICATES, MOBILE PHONES, PROFIT, BUSINESS MODEL, NUMBER OF USERS, CUSTOMERS, INTERFACE, SEARCHES, DATABASE, PROFITS, TIMELY ACCESS, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGIES, BUSINESS PLANNING, MULTIMEDIA, COMMODITY, INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE, PRIVATE SECTORS, TARGET, PRICES, USES, INNOVATIONS, USER, TECHNICAL STANDARDS, SERVICE PROVIDERS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2015/05/24442715/mobile-applications-agriculture-rural-development https://hdl.handle.net/10986/21892
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