“Even the power of the most basic mobile technology, such as sending an SMS, can be used to provide data to farmers that they previously would not have had access to.”
NEI, with the help of our extension team, uses the system of SMS messaging via simple cellphones (not necessarily smart phone) to provide advice, anecdotes and times to harvest. This system is used not only as a system of information, but also as a form of motivation for small-scale farmers who, with the help of NEI’s systemization, acquire a sustainable income as a result of their healthy crops. The premium extracts, cocoa powder, and vanilla beans that we use from their raw products are directly related to the labour that they daily invest their time for. Which is why giving them a sense of insurance, access to what is happening in the market and agricultural tips are vital to this process.
The “how-to” knowledge of the 5 “Ws” are critical to in this more modern agricultural world – who, what, where, when and why what is being done is being done. The Swahili messages, composed by our co-founder, Silas Noah, are sent weekly directly from our office in Moshi, Kilimanjaro through a mass texting system called Bongo SMS, to 900 farmers. These messages indicate harvesting times, agricultural tips and advice on vanilla crops. The messages will state, for example, (1) being sure to use dry leaves at the foot of the roots to keep the moisture from drying in the sun, or (2) while harvesting, picking only the vanilla pods with yellow tips, as they are the ones ready to be sent for production.
What better way, in a rapidly changing world, to expand this knowledge than through the power of these mobile devices! In the time it takes for a text message to send, which is equivalent to the snap of a finger, these farmers can be reassured that their work is ideal for what is needed for production of these premium products. From crop to bottle!
The Epicurious Hedgehog 