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<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Listers,</font></font></div>
<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri"></font></font> </div>
<div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000"><font face="Calibri">Just a quick note to share some research findings of work supported by IDRC in 6 African countries (Kenya, Benin, Ghana, Madagascar and Malawi)</font></font></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><font face="Tahoma" color="#000000" size="2"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Some highlights of findings from the project (eAgriculture Research Network):-</font></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span></span> </p>
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<font face="Calibri"><font size="3"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span>ü<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Participation in ICT-based market information service projects strengthens farmer linkage to markets:- increases the share of agricultural production (crop and livestock) that is sold by about 14% implying that farmers
that participate in such projects have greater participation in the market. It also increases the per-capita household use of productivity enhancing purchased inputs (seeds, fertilizer & pesticides) by 10-12%.
</span></font></font></p>
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<font face="Calibri"><font size="3"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span>ü<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">There is evidence that participation in ICT-based projects improves household food security: Increases per-capita agricultural income and reduces the extent of food insecurity (duration of food deficit) in a participating
household.</span></font></font></p>
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<font face="Calibri"><font size="3"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span>ü<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Markets covered by ICT-based projects perform better:- they are characterized by lower price dispersion and lower transaction costs and are more integrated with other markets.</span></font></font></p>
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<font face="Calibri"><font size="3"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span>ü<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">That the effect of the use of ICT-based tools (especially mobiles) by rural traders on transaction cost is nuanced. It reduces some of the components of transaction costs but not others (e.g. screening & renogotiation
costs) suggesting that the nature of the market influence how use of such tools affect transaction costs.</span></font></font></p>
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<font face="Calibri"><font size="3"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span>ü<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">Awareness of ICT-based market information service (MIS) projects are driven by
<i><strong>farmer-specific factors</strong></i> - age (-ve), education/literacy, farming experience, membership in farmer organizations;
<strong><i>infrastructural factors</i> </strong>- access to electricity (-ve); <i>
<strong>asset endowment</strong></i> - land size, value of household non-land physical assets, value of livestock assets, household income;
<strong><em>country-specific factors </em></strong>e.g. price controls and ban on maize export in Malawi distorted the market. </span></font></font></p>
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<font face="Calibri"><font size="3"><span lang="EN-GB" style="FONT-FAMILY: Wingdings"><span>ü<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</span></span></span><span lang="EN-GB">The environment (physical, socio-cultural, economic and legal) in which ICT-based projects are deployed and their design affect their outcomes i.e. performance and sustainability. Flexible and responsive designs improve
the odds of success and sustainability of such projects. Overdependence on donor support and failure to plan for exit reduce the odd of success.</span></font></font></p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span> </p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Finally, in Kenya it was found that over 60% of mobile money transfer is used in the agriculture sector!</font></span></p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span> </p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Telecom operators in Sri Lanka have incorporated provision of "real-time" (within the hour) agricultural market information in their service offerings and have hired market scouts to collect information hourly
(they charge consumers equivallent of ksh 30 per month for this information (good source of revenue) - we need these types of innovations in Kenya rather than price controls.</font></span></p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="Calibri" size="3"></font></span> </p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="Calibri" size="3">Edith</font> </span></p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="calibri"></font></span> </p>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><font face="calibri"></font></span> </p>
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Ofwona Adera</font> </span></b><span style="COLOR: black"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international<o:p></o:p></font></span></p>
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and Southern Africa</font></span></p>
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+254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera</font></span></p>
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