Responsible Officer: Adera, Edith

 

Institution: IDRC and PRIDE AFRICA

 

Region: Sub-Saharan Africa | East Africa | Kenya

 

Start Date: 2006/10

 

  Project Details

 

The Context of the Project:

 

DrumNet encourages Kenyan smallholders to produce export-oriented crops by providing them with an integrated set of services - credit linked to agricultural extension and marketing - to boost agricultural productivity and enhance rural livelihoods. Phase I of DrumNet (101569) attempted to provide farmers with services in real time via a web-based portal. Within the first year, however, the Internet-based solution proved too slow, expensive and unreliable for low-priced transactions between farmers. Gradual penetration of mobile telephony into rural Kenya offered a timely alternative. The research findings of Phase I showed that overall, DrumNet is an effective model for encouraging the production of export-oriented crops, but that a more secure, robust and locally supported system needs to be developed

During Phase II, researchers will design and implement a global system for mobile communications (GSM)-enabled system that provides interactive links between key actors in the value-chain (producers, exporters, extension workers, rural banks and DrumNet). A three-phased survey and Outcome Mapping exercise will be used to assess behavioral changes in the participants throughout the process, as well as the impact of the system on agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. The main research focus is to provide a deeper understanding of the socioeconomic impact of providing smallholder farmers with access to markets.