SMS market info system will improve prices for farmers

Mobile technology for farmers in Malawi

Malawi’s farmers have a new way to check grain prices, thanks to a SMS market information system platform introduced in early December by USAID’s Market Linkages Initiative (MLI), managed by CARANA.

The platform, Esoko, was started in 2009 by a team of programmers in Ghana and is being used in eight African countries. It allows farmers and others in agribusiness to use their cell phones to share and receive customized, real-time market information, including prices and offers.

Early pilots in farming communities receiving price information via text message already show revenue improvements as high as 40%, with users able to negotiate better deals, trend prices, and discover new markets. Through this platform, Esoko and MLI are joining forces for higher farmer incomes and improved value-chain efficiency in Malawi.