Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Dear List Members, My thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. The discussion was opened initially to try to help The Farmer (TF) to solve a specific problem. There was a time constraint, because his savings were due to be paid out to him in January. January is now over so it is time to summarise what happened, and to look forward... * There was a lot of information exchanged on this list. * There were reasons why it was not appropriate to simply forward it (as explained in a previous email) so I sent TF an email summarising what you had said and asking your questions. * Sam Lanfranco suggested this could be an interesting mini-research project - we started to discuss it off list. * I wanted to approach TF through David Mutua, a community development worker, now CawdNet coordinator, who knows TF well. David now works a two-days journey away from where TF lives. * TF did not reply to the list of questions that I sent to him on your behalf. * As we got to the end of the month I was concerned for TF, as I (and the Internet) had not helped in the way that he had hoped I would. * I sent a message via an intermediary and got an almost immediate reply. * TF acknowledged my message about the tractor and advised me to forget about it. He reminded me of one of his other plans requiring investment, which is a piggery. He is going to do that instead and says he will let me know how things are going. * I have heard from David Mutua that he has approached TF who would be willing to answer questions for Sam. I am sorry we were not able to help TF - I have known him for over five years and in all that time he has been trying to find some way to get a tractor. He is a forward looking man and has done a lot to help to make it possible for people in his area to have access to email and the Internet. I am sorry that his first request for help was not more successful. I am concerned about how much money he spent in order to receive my emails and to reply to them. Looking forward: * In Reference to TF's plans: I hope TF's piggery will be successful - but I know there are problems related to that idea too, we have discussed them in the past. I hope one day that I will be able to help him to get his tractor. * In Reference to Internet use in rural areas: I hope that TF will see some benefit from the Internet, but I believe it will only happen if we build in certain enabling structures. As you have seen, the fact that TF is now able to get to a computer opens up new opportunities, but even with my help, and then your help, it was not sufficient to find the information he needed. CawdNet is currently exploring this problem in various informal ways with its various Special Interest Groups - SIGs (i.e., not just with farmers) . * I hope Sam's mini-research will happen and there will be a useful and mutually beneficial exchange of information. between TF and York University, which will be useful more widely. There is a Yoruba expression which we often use within CawdNet - to rub brains. If anyone on the list wants an opportunity to rub brains with TF or with anyone else from the Agric SIG, or any other SIG (Health, Education, Women, Youth, Micro-credit, Solar cooking etc.) we would be happy to try to facilitate that. However it is best to explain that as we are a small team operating on a shoestring, we regret that we cannot do things that cause us to carry additional expenses. Pam McLean CawdNet convenor Website - due to come into operation soon thanks to Ross Gardler - at www.cawd.net ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Sam makes an interesting and intriguing suggestion, particularly because this request comes from Nigeria which has a rich history of financial games both internal to and with external funding sources, individuals and institutions. Many requests, at all levels, which have issued from that country have been more than meets the eye. This has made it, unfortunately, difficult for many whose problems are real and severe to be differentiated from those who would take advantage of such situations. We have seen this, also, with the relief work following the recent tsunami. thoughts? tom abeles On 1/24/05, Sam Lanfranco wrote: This discussion of a Nigerian farmer in pursuit of a tractor is offering a wonderful opportunity for a useful piece of mini-research if someone close enough to the actual farmer is willing to undertake it, and if someone else is willing to tip in a bit of financial resources to reward the farmer, and interviewer, for their time and effort in the mini-research. ..snip... ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
One has to wonder this -- Suppose there was someone on this list who had one-to-one contact with the farmer - could actually take both money and advice to his farm. Suppose, next, that there was an online collection point for (PayPal) contributions directly from this list - for specific payment to the contact purpose, posssibly for the ownership or rental of the tractor. What amount would be collected? -- John W. Hibbs http://www.bfranklin.edu/johnhibbs On 1/24/05, Sam Lanfranco wrote: This discussion of a Nigerian farmer in pursuit of a tractor is offering a wonderful opportunity for a useful piece of mini-research if someone close enough to the actual farmer is willing to undertake it, and if someone else is willing to tip in a bit of financial resources to reward the farmer, and interviewer, for their time and effort in the mini-research. ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
On 1/21/05, Scott Kleinberg [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: If there are no sources of used machinery, perhaps he could lease something -- using the funds he has to pay the lease for a specified time -- with an option to buy later at a specified price. Often you may be able to apply some of the leasing funds to the purchase price. It may not be what he wants, but it may be what's available. What is probably more urgent is to determine the size of his property. That way he can find a suitable resource, to work the land effectively. Without going for an overkill on Capital Outlay. If he gets a tractor there are lots of associated running costs that probably come into play, as well, does he have a plough or is he going to rent one? Can he use the tractor to plough for other farmers? Also there seem to be several low cost alternatives for traction, the Far East, for instance China, has many small scale farmer implements. Is he going to use the tractor to also pump water? If he is close to a village, he can also see what markets exist for utilizing the tractor, e.g. if a wagon is available he can take people to the local market once a week, or move produce. Alternatively the Village might need a tractor for Local Refuse removal, ..I know that in South Africa there was a neat Company that used Local Government Contracts to finance several small contractors, due to the three year contract as a surety... Also is there any advise given to him about alternative crops (crop diversification) that might have higher yields... BTW, I assumed that they have a system likely close to what they use in SA, called a Stokvel, where a group pools a certain amount every month, then one individual gets the kitty or purse for the whole month, or they have a big event once a year. It can also be used as a Funeral expense pay-out system, which currently due to AIDS is severely straining this savings system. All the Best, d ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Dear Colleagues, This discussion of a Nigerian farmer in pursuit of a tractor is offering a wonderful opportunity for a useful piece of mini-research if someone close enough to the actual farmer is willing to undertake it, and if someone else is willing to tip in a bit of financial resources to reward the farmer, and interviewer, for their time and effort in the mini-research. A number of people have offered sage advice as to what the farmer might do, based on what we think was a correct transmission of his tractor dilemma as he saw it. The advice was broad and varied. It would be wonderful, and enlightening, if someone the farmer trusted were to sit down with him, with all the suggestions, and go over them one by one and let the farmer tell us what looks promising, and what is totally off the mark, and why. Knowledge, including advice, has value and relevance in context and I suspect that much of what we have suggested has presumed many things that are simply not true in the context of the real and pressing needs faced by this farmer. Paying for this participation would be a decent thing to do. A good reporter's piece on the farmer's measured views of the various pieces of advice would likely be an informative experience for many of us. Sam Lanfranco Distributed Knowledge Project York University ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Dear Pamela, I see your effort to summarize possible answers and alternatives for the Nigerian farmer given language barriers. However, I do want to point out that one of the most analytical and complete replies that included both an analysis of the problem and a description of several down-to-earth alternatives for our friend from Nigeria was, I think, the one from Dr. Arrigo della Gherardesca, so I strongly suggest that you include the questions he raises such as: * Can he share the tractor with other farmers? * Can he rent one or have a cooperative own it? I wish we had that Village Evolution data base in Spanish for Mexican rural villages. We have over 3200 public telecenters with scattered information for poor rural or urban people with poor Internet connections. Maybe Dr. della Gherardesca would like to elaborate on how his system would work in villages with PCs, but no Internet connection? Would it help push towards establishing the connection, or would it slow the process towards connectivity, and how can it be acquired or distributed in countries in Latin America. Is it useful both for NGO's and government kiosks or even for private rural cyber-cafes, which in Mexico have proliferated? Pamela, good luck and hope the group members keep helping each other! Best regards, Adriana Labardini [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Dear Pam, The question by your Nigerian farmer, is one of a thousand we (try to) answer, in our VillagE-volution System (to be launched in 2 months). So, your farmer (who is apparently participating in a rotating savings and credit association - ROSCA) wants to buy a tractor, but can only afford a down-payment, not the full price. Analysis: 1) A tractor is not a fixed asset, it can disappear to Cameroon in no time. 2) Even if it doesn't disappear, a used tractor, without adequate maintenance, spare parts, etc. can zero it's value in few months. 3) Given the above, who would grant credit to your farmer, without an adequate guarantee for the payment of the remaining monthly instalments? Answer: 4) One would have to contact the single local financial institutions; for example, not far from where your farmer lives, there must be a Community Bank (small financial institution owned and managed by a community). There should be nearly a thousand of them, around rural Nigeria. I cannot now verify, or provide to you, all the information in our database. See, for example, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/idep/unpan004228.pdf . For one, your farmer would have to present a simple Business Plan of the use of the tractor; again, our database, at the Directory Project (how to analyze and present a Business Plan), would teach him how to do that). Alternatives: 5) From what you say, he may have one of the following alternatives (or a mix of them): a) You say He has more land than he can cultivate... Is it possible in Nigeria to get title to the land (a paper by the Government saying it is yours) and then pledge (mortgage) it in favor of the seller of the tractor, to guarantee the credit, until it is repaid? Even assuming it is feasible, it may take longer than Your farmer can wait. b) You say In his community everyone knows everyone's business... Could he leave a little of his money to the saving scheme, and ask the group to guarantee the residual payments for him? If they know he is a good mechanic and a reliable farmer, they may (if compensated) be willing to take a risk that some distant tractor dealer or seller won't. We call it community guarantee; it relates to the problem of risk taking and sharing in poor communities, fundamental to be able to finance investments and for other matters. c) Of course, there is a slight chance that he could pledge the land in favor of a bank and get a bank guarantee, that the truck seller would love! But, again, this may take more time than your farmer has; d) another alternative: given that he won't be using the tractor all the time on his own land (unless he is a BIG farmer), couldn't he share the tractor with someone else, that puts the rest of the money that is needed? An individual or maybe an existing or to-be-established cooperative? You say he has some mechanic training. A well kept tractor does the work of MANY men and can handle hundreds of acres. This could become a business, in rural Nigeria. In fact, the most reasonable thing, for a smallholder farmer, would be to rent (by the hour) the tractor (+ driver), whenever he needs it, not own it. Maybe, the ROSCA to which he apparently participates could buy the tractor, or they could set up a separate cooperative to buy agricultural equipment on a community scale, when it's not reasonable (or possible) to do it on an individual basis. Hope this was of some help. But, as you see, these are not simple matters and it is easy to get lost, without a good map. Out of the circa 100 distinct Directories composing our data-base, about twenty are on matters in this area: mortgaging land to secure financing for a L/T investments, community guarantees, how to buy on credit, calculating productivity gains for a tractor and putting down a Business Plan, preparing and presenting a project to a financial institution, setting up and managing cooperatives, small private businesses, etc. Your farmer, or someone next to him (if his English and general education is not adequate), would have to take time to browse through this material, that we provide on a 700 MB CD. After that, he may want to get some additional local advice, or alternatively mail to us, or simply check into our Newsgroups, relevant to his tractor purchase. Finally, he will know and do what's best for him. VillagE-volution provides a vast database of know-how, information, business suggestions, contacts, etc. (on CDs), to poor people in urban and rural areas, in an accessible way, easy to follow. Then, it supplements this with Newsgroups, Newsletters, E-magazines, etc via the Web. This way, it empowers poor people, step-by-step, and it reduces the need of extensive Internet browsing, by making organized information available and accessible, even where the Internet connection is still non-existent, too slow, or unaffordable. If you want to know more on how VE is capable of empowering poor people to a better life, please contact us
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Dear GKD Members, This is to give feedback and to thank people for replies sent so far. Please keep them coming - information for the farmer and explanations for me are both very welcome. I was not sure of the farmer's email address, so had to check it. He gave me the original request for information face to face. He did have an email address but was not sure of it. When I started to get replies I emailed four people who might know his address to say that I wanted to email him. One went round to his house. The following day I got a brief email from him. I thought about my reply and how I should best forward the information that List members have sent. I realised that I was not comfortable about simply forwarding it all in one go. I don't know how he manages with *written* English. His *spoken* English is good enough for us to communicate effectively about quite complex issues that are close to our hearts. (My Yoruba, by contrast, is limited to simple greetings and such like). However, we haven't really read together, so I don't know how much he would read for himself and how much he would rely on an intermediary. I know that he leads religious meetings, and often gives me religious literature, so I think he must read English, but I don't know how well. I know that he avoids writing it. The expense of accepting emails also need to be considered. The actions of going online and getting printouts (actions that are simple, cheap and routine to me) involve non-trivial costs in rural Nigeria. I don't know if he is able to download emails to read offline. I decided that I should write a brief summary, as follows: ** I have been making enquiries on your behalf about the tractor, and I am starting to get replies. However the replies I have had so far seem to have more questions than answers. From what they say and from what you said we seem to have several questions to think about: 1) Where can you buy a tractor? 2) How much will it cost? 3) Will your savings be sufficient for a deposit? 4) Where can you borrow the extra money? 5) How can you persuade someone to lend you the extra money? 6) How will they get their money back? 7) Can you produce some kind of business plan to convince them that the tractor will pay for itself? (I could look for directions on how to write one if necessary) 8) If things went badly wrong and the tractor did not pay for itself - perhaps it was destroyed in an accident, or stolen, or struck by lightning or something - how would the debt be repaid (Someone who raised this point suggested that you might have to sell some land for example and wondered if that would be possible.) If people who lend money think that the risk is high then they charge a lot to lend money. If they are confident that they will get the money back, no matter what happens, then they do not charge so much. 9) If you cannot use your savings straight away as a deposit for the tractor then what is the best thing to do with them? I have been given a couple of possible answers to question 1) Where can you buy a tractor? I will try to make contact with the people that have been suggested. When I get answers I will let you know. Meanwhile perhaps you can start to think about some of the other questions. I think some may take time for us to answer. Does that mean we should also be thinking about Question 9 - If you cannot use your savings straight away as a deposit for the tractor then what is the best thing to do with them? I look forward to your reply. Pam Thank you to everyone who has contributed information (on-line and offline). Some emails raised questions about the farmer's situation that I have not yet answered, I will try to answer at some other time. I will also gradually send him more information and welcome your continuing involvement. Pamela McLean CawdNet -- using the Internet on behalf of rural communities in Africa ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Here is what I would suggest. He should identify a dealer/trader from which he can buy the tractor. I gather he has not yet saved enough or a tractor is simply not yet available. What I suggest is that he essentially entrust a downpayment to a trustworthy intermediary pending the ability to close the final deal. A bank might also cooperate. Obviously this somewhat depends on how far he is from a centre of business but he probably must travel that far to get a good deal on a tractor anyway. If he has to make two or three trips to safely escrow money and properly shop for the tractor it will, in the end, be worth it. He might also want to consider renting the tractor (or plowing for nearby farmers) as an additional source of revenue to support the purchase. The important thing is to move the accumulated money outside his immediate social millieu into some escrow sufficiently complicated to his relatives such that they will consider the money gone and not pester him. Of course, until the tractor materializes he will probably still have hell to pay, but that might be manageable. :) On 1/14/05, Pamela McLean wrote: A Nigerian farmer has asked for advice (because he knows I can get information from the Internet and he is now in a position to exchange emails with me). ..snip... Does anyone know how to help him to use his savings to start to purchase a tractor and improve his farm, as he has been trained to do? ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
Re: [GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Pamela, The scheme the Nigerian farmer is involved in is referred to as the box in some cultures. Typically 12 people are involved, each contributes the same amount each month and each month, in a prearranged order, one member gets the total take of 12 times the monthly deposit. It is a form of savings scheme that requires no administrative skills, and peer group pressure to keep people paying in on time. It is easy to modify the scheme for a different number of participants. I have seen the scheme used where individuals arrange bilateral swaps of withdrawal times, to avoid being cash rich at the wrong time, and getting the cash flow at the appropriate time. Sam Lanfranco [EMAIL PROTECTED] SASIT, 2005 TEL Bldg York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M3J 1P3 Phone: York: 416-736-2100 x33235 cell: 416-816-2852 ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
[GKD] A Nigerian Farmer Using ICTs to Seek Information
Dear GKD Members, A Nigerian farmer has asked for advice (because he knows I can get information from the Internet and he is now in a position to exchange emails with me). I am directing this request for information to the GKD List for two reasons: 1) Because it is a practical example of the kind of thing the GKD List addresses - the use of ICTs for development, access to and use of information resources by the poor in rural areas, access to information and knowledge throughout developing countries. 2) Because someone might genuinely be able to help by pointing me in the direction of the information that the farmer needs. This is the farmer's situation. He has more land than he can cultivate, even with the help of his family members. He has taken part in various training schemes for farmers organised locally. These have involved the training agencies using a tractor on his farm. He has plans to develop his farm and wants to buy his own second hand tractor. (I understand that when he was younger and doing military service he was a mechanic.) He has been saving and is reaching a point where he needs advice about the purchase. This is what he has done so far. In his village there is a scheme whereby people save some money each month. I don't understand exactly how it works, but it seems as if each month everyone in the scheme pays in, and someone in the scheme reaches the point of leaving the scheme and taking out that month's money. He has been paying into this scheme for some time, in order to make a down payment towards a second-hand tractor. Then he plans to continue paying it off, at least at the same rate that he has been paying into the savings scheme. (He has told me the amounts involved). This is his problem and information need. This month it will be his turn to get the payout of the money, but he has not yet found the best way to buy a second-hand tractor. He needs to know urgently so he can use the money for the purpose he has been saving it. If he does not spend the money quickly towards the tractor then he will not be able to keep hold of his savings. In his community everyone knows everyone's business, so all his extended family will know that he has come into this money. This means that they will soon be coming to him with all their financial needs and he will not be able to refuse them. Does anyone know how to help him to use his savings to start to purchase a tractor and improve his farm, as he has been trained to do? Pam McLean CawdNet -- using the Internet on behalf of rural communities in Africa ***GKD is solely supported by EDC, a Non-Profit Organization*** To post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe gkd OR type: unsubscribe gkd Archives of previous GKD messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/gkd/
