Reuters Market Light (RML) [1], an initiative started by Thomson Reuters, is an information service started in 2007. RML targets information provision to Indian farmers via mobile phones. RML subscribers receive information via text messages on mobile phones, which is personalized based on the stage of the crop cycle and at the taluka level for weather forecasts. They also provide information about local market prices and local and international commodity information. Since personalization is a key factor in this service, one prominent feature of RML is that this information can be accessed by the farmer in his local language. So overall, a farmer gets much of the necessary information in his language through mobile phone SMS.
This initiative has recorded 1 million unique subscribers so far in an estimated 50,000 villages across 13 states. RML believes that farmers tend to prefer text messages over a phone call as that information remains stored in the phone and can be understood more easily. But the only bottleneck for this interface in a country like ours is that of literacy. This limits the range of people who can gain benefits from such a scheme. This initiative is an example of how making the right information available to the farmer in a timely fashion can help them improve farm yields and hence improve their conditions. A study conducted by Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) claims that they observed 5-25% increase in the incomes of the RML subscribers interviewed by them.
Our country needs more initiatives like these and we need to brainstorm on how this information can be communicated to every farmer of the country and give him the right guidance needed by him. It is implementation of simple ideas that can bring real change. RML realized the importance of local language. Provision of information in local language breaks the fear from technology also. Computers and mobile phones were not considered comfortable for rural India before hindi fonts came into play. With language support, much more interest can be observed from user end. ICTs can definitely bring a significant change in Indian agriculture system if we use them smartly and understand the needs properly. RML’s success story can be seen in a timeline on their site [2].
[1] Reuters Market Light. Thomson Reuters. Available from: http://www.reutersmarketlight.com/index.html
[2] Key Milestones, Reuters Market Light. Thomson Reuters. Available from: http://www.reutersmarketlight.com/milestones.html
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