problem
Zacatecas, Mexico
3rd most important agricultural state
- #1 in key foodstuffs (e.g., beans, chilies)
- Main industries – agriculture, mining
2nd poorest state
- Low per capita income
- Lack of sustainable livelihood
- Low growth rate: 0.1% (national: 1.13%)
background
Economic Empowerment Through Information
Since 2000
• 74% of agri-based pop emigrated
• 52% of entire state emigrated
• 29% of municipalities disappeared
(208 communities)
Forced
Migration
http://nextlab.mit.edu/spring2009/zacatecas/
Information sharing among farmers,
traders, communities, gov’ts,
development practitioners
innovation
solution
simply sms:
857-205-1311
keyword
“query”
“have”
“quantity”
crop
tomato
grape
chili
Feed and
Forum
argument
Market 2
Farmer
environment
competitors
zaca
Functionalities
Internet independent
Kiosk independent
Farmer-to-farmer comms
Prices from non-gov’t sources
Extra-community info sharing
Indigenous languages
Purchasers + suppliers access
Best practices mechanism
Tip exchange
Open platform, extensible
(MEXICO)
scalability
SIMPLICITY
• Simple technology (Java, Frontline SMS)
• Open source
• Extensible
• Low cost
Company 2
Farmer
Auction system that
directly connects
companies and farmers
SENEGAL) (TANZANIA) (KENYA)
Training Video
C2F functionality
Auction System
Survey Design
Initial Rollout
`
crop
info
c2f
auction
twitter
etc…
SCOPE
• Health
• Education
• Employment
ZACA API PLATFORM
community + team
Gantt Chart - Key zaca tasks
Farmer Assistance Tools – A comparison
e-Choupal Manobi
First Mile Drumnet
SMS AGGREGATOR
OTHER INDUSTRIES
• Fisheries
• Handicrafts
• Small holders in
mining, timber, etc.
DATABASE SERVER
future
(INDIA)
GEOGRAPHY
• States
• Countries
IMPACT
• Income increase: potentially 80%
• Econometrically– sound study
See Jensen’s “The Visible Hand(set)”
# kg
Improved individual and
collective bargaining power,
better crop planning
GRAVE IMPLICATIONS
FOR ALL OF MEXICO AND
BEYOND
Fundraising
zaca is farmer-originated
zaca is locally driven (ITESO, UNAM, PC, etc.)
zaca has already earned farmers’ trust
zaca was incubated @ MIT Media Lab’s Next Lab
zaca is all about technology transfer/adaptability
zaca has a high ROI
Auction Contracts
US-based: G.A.P. Groesbeck (lead), Chizoba Nnaemeka, Ehsan Hoque, Eric
White, Joshua Hayes, Scot Frank
Recruit Agents
M2F Functionality
Dec-04 Jan-05 Feb-05 Mar-05 Apr-05May-05May-05 Jun-05 Jul-05 Aug-05 Sep-05 Sep-05 Oct-05 Nov-05 Dec-05
Completed
Remaining
Mexico-based: Francisco Valenzuela (lead), Pablo Valadez, Priscilla Rivera,
Sofía Reyes y Martínez
GIVING FARMERS A FIGHTING CHANCE
Transforming the Rural Economy in Zacatecas through Mobile Technology
US team: Geoff Groesbeck (lead), Ehsan Hoque (Systems Architecture), Koji Omae (Sustainability), Rakesh Sahu (Operations), Scot Frank (Software)
Mexico team: Francisco J. Valenzuela A., J. Pablo Valadez V., Priscilla Rivera G., Sofía Reyes y Martínez M.
Project URL: http://nextlab.mit.edu/fall2008/thefightingfarmers/
System Architecture
Farmers
1. Query market information (via Java-enabled SMS [Frontline])
2. Receive via SMS
Zaca technology and POC videos:
http://vimeo.com/4545028 – technology/operability presentation
http://vimeo.com/4258206 – initial team visit/training presentation
http://vimeo.com/4968121 – onsite field work presentation
Operations
Jan 2009
Trial Operation
6
May 2010
3-5 years
Full Operation
Matured
# Farmer Communities
US$2,000/yr
US$3,000/yr
700 (Covering all
Zacatecas State)
US$4,000/yr
Project operating cost (supported by private investment)
US$300 for 3 months
US$5,000/yr
Agents (or farmers)
1. Register farmers’ data
2. Update crop data every season