February 10, 2007
Farmers Using SMS In Africa
Internet trading plat form tradnetINTL (in French), enables farmers and traders in agricultural commodities in Africa to conduct business through the use of SMS.160characters.org reports.
"tradnetINTL services are completely free for users, except the normal sms messaging charges by the mobile phone service providers.
..."Potential buyers looking for a specific commodity only need to compose an SMS phones stating the code of the commodity in question and the country from which they want the results and send it to a defined tradenet number for instant results.
Traders can also register to receive regular SMS alerts on commodities from markets of their choice.
... But a few challenges remain to be overcome, such as the high level of illiteracy and poverty among farmers and traders in Africa, which made it difficult for them to acquire computers, mobile phones and even be able to use them.
The project has therefore included training for the literate children of farmers and traders to assist their parents use the facility."
Photo from grieco open university
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