{"id":190,"date":"2011-06-09T12:48:33","date_gmt":"2011-06-09T12:48:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gsmassociation.co.uk\/newsroom\/?p=190"},"modified":"2015-05-15T15:42:24","modified_gmt":"2015-05-15T15:42:24","slug":"gsma-announces-mfarmer-initiative-fund","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gsma.com\/newsroom\/press-release\/gsma-announces-mfarmer-initiative-fund\/","title":{"rendered":"GSMA Announces mFarmer Initiative Fund"},"content":{"rendered":"

mAgri Programme Aims to Benefit 2 Million Farmers in Developing Countries by 2013<\/strong><\/p>\n

The GSMA, the body that represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, today announced at the inaugural mAgri Working Group in Cape Town, the launch of the mFarmer Initiative Fund, supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Fund will encourage mobile communications service providers, in partnership with other public and private sector agriculture organisations, to use mobile communications to provide information and advisory services to smallholder farmers in developing countries living on under US$2 per day. The mFarmer Initiative Fund, which is part of the GSMA\u2019s Mobile Agriculture (mAgri) Programme, will be available over a period of two years.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are over 2.3 billion people living on less than $2 day, a large number of whom are rural smallholder farmers in developing countries and who face many issues which inhibit their agricultural productivity and limit their incomes,\u201d said Chris Locke, executive director, GSMA Development Fund. \u201cThrough the mFarmer Initiative Fund, the GSMA Development Fund\u2019s mAgri Programme will accelerate the provision of high-quality agricultural information services through mobile and by 2013 we aim to provide two million farmers in developing countries with an invaluable and transformative business resource.\u201d<\/p>\n

The GSMA Development Fund accelerates economic, environmental and social evolution through mobile technology. Within the Development Fund, the mAgri Programme exists to catalyse the deployment of mobile solutions benefiting the agriculture sector. To date, focus has been on engagement with mobile operators and their partners to prove the market opportunity of agricultural extension services through mobile to smallholder farmers and to understand which business models are most suitable.<\/p>\n

Improvement in agricultural productivity directly increases food security and income of the agricultural population. Food security occurs when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life. Currently, African agricultural output stands at a meagre 56 per cent of the world\u2019s average. The impact of this shortfall is enormous and can be attributed to a variety of reasons, including a lack of access to vital agricultural information, as well as training and advice on topics such as pests and diseases, weather and proven farming practices.<\/p>\n

Mobile technology offers new, cost-effective and scalable solutions to address these challenges. In developing countries, access to mobile phones is growing dramatically even amongst those at the base of the economic pyramid, providing a new and powerful channel of communication and the ability to link previously excluded rural communities to up\u2013to-date information.<\/p>\n

mFarmer Initiative Fund<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mFarmer Initiative Fund is designed to:<\/p>\n