Author: ruby quadri

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Empowering Farmers: Mandi Bhav approach to provide essential information


Farmers often don’t get fair prices for the farm produce. The challenges faced by farmers in obtaining fair prices for their produce are indeed multifaceted, and the lack of awareness of current market prices is a significant factor. Since the prices of the farm produce is a volatile metric, the fluctuations are very frequent, so keeping track of the updated prices can be challenging for the farmers. Here are some key aspects contributing to this issue:

  • Limited Access to Information: Many farmers, especially in rural areas, may not have easy access to information about current market prices. Lack of internet connectivity, information dissemination infrastructure, and educational resources can hinder their ability to stay informed.
  • Market Inefficiencies: Agricultural markets can be inefficient and lack transparency. In some cases, middlemen or intermediaries may exploit information asymmetry to offer lower prices to farmers. Streamlining and improving market structures can help ensure a fairer distribution of profits.
  • Volatility in Prices: Agricultural commodity prices are often influenced by various factors, including weather conditions, global demand, and geopolitical events. The volatility makes it challenging for farmers to predict and plan for market changes effectively.
  • Limited Market Access: Some farmers may have limited access to broader markets due to geographical constraints or lack of transportation infrastructure. This limitation reduces their ability to explore alternative markets and obtain better prices for their produce.
  • Technology Divide: The digital divide in rural areas can impede the adoption of technologies that provide real-time market information. Mobile applications, online platforms, and other technological solutions can play a crucial role in bridging this gap and empowering farmers with up-to-date pricing information.

By addressing these issues holistically, it is possible to empower farmers with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the complexities of agricultural markets and obtain fair prices for their produce.

Gram Vaani’s Mandi Bhav intervention is one step in this direction. 

Leveraging Mobile Vaani Network (MVN):

The Mobile Vaani network mission is to challenge socio-economic ideologies and norms that are responsible for the reproduction of all forms of inequality, by providing a community media technology platform that enables inclusive conversation spaces, along with services or guidance on the operation of the platform, to achieve the goal.

 

  • Presence in 20+ states (Direct and via partners)
  • More than 100 thousand unique users per month
  • More than 10,000 calls on IVR per day
  • More than 200 B2B partners
  • 12000+ impact stories 
  • 800K+ voice reports recorded (user voices on MV network/platforms)

Considering a wide presence of Mobile Vaani network across the country, this network could be leveraged to spread awareness and bring farmers onboard.

Program Details:

Volunteer’s journey:

  • Reporters are given access to an ODK Form (please refer to the template above)
  • These forms are filled by reporter basis the following:
    • Depending on the season, the reporter chooses Kharif or Rabi. 
    • The reporter enters Min and Max price of the crop 
    • All the prices are per quintal rate
  • There are multiple such questions in which the reporter can choose the name of the produce and report its Mandi Bhav the respective mandi. 
  • Each form has following client side validations (just to avoid accidental incorrect entries):
    • Only integer values can be entered
    • No fractional values
    • No special characters
    • There cannot be Zero or negative value for any crop
    • The max value cannot exceed 20000
    • The max value should always be more than min value
  • All such responses get logged in a ODK backend

Phase 1 (Pilot): Manual trigger

For the pilot phase of the program, Banda district in UP was chosen. The crop prices collected by the volunteer were pushed to the backend via ODK form. The SMS broadcast with crop prices was manually done to the farmer base of Banda. 

Phase 2: Automated trigger

In Phase 2 of the program, MV’s engineering team automated the process by writing a script. The script was programmed to read the incoming ODK data, insert the values in the approved SMS template and trigger the SMS to the users. 

Farmer’s journey:

Opt in:

  • Users will give a missed call to the MVN number of their district
  • They will receive a callback confirming that their Mandi Bhav service is activated
  • User will also receive an SMS confirming 
  • GV will store the opt-in the backend

Opt out:

  • User will give a missed call on the same number which was used to opt-in
  • IVR will the call back and asks user to confirm opt-out by pressing a DTMF key
  • If the user presses the key, opt-out confirmation message will be played
  • User will also receive an SMS confirming Opt-out
  • GV removes the user’s number from the recipients

 

Future expansion:

Crop and Weather advisories

Weather and climate information plays a vital role in agricultural production and management. A weather advisory for farmers serves several important purposes, as agriculture is highly dependent on weather conditions. By providing timely and accurate weather information, advisories empower farmers to make informed decisions, mitigate risks, and enhance the overall productivity and sustainability of agriculture.

Mandi Bhav program shall be further expanded to include crop and weather advisory services for each district. This will help farmers in crop planning, financial management, risk management and community preparedness. 

 

We also plan to leverage TTS capability using Bhashini. The speech recording obtained from Bhashini is pushed as OBD to the farmers. This opens up an additional channel for farmers through which the information shall be shared. 

We are also working on pushing automated Whatsapp messages in the approved Whatsapp template. So, information dissemination can happen via WA also.

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A Digital Public Infrastructure for Climate Change Adaptation


Introduction:   

In pursuit of our objective to build technologies for communities to enhance natural resource management (NRM), the CoRE Stack (Commoning for Resilience and Equality) is addressing shortcomings in NRM supply- and demand- planning by introducing a systematic data-driven approach to understand the socio-ecological sustainability of landscapes, and participatory, community-friendly digital tools for communities to propose action plans. 

Being built through a rich and growing collaboration network between IIT Delhi, IIT Palakkad, Gram Vaani, WELL Labs, Magasool, GIZ, FES, Common Ground, and Rainmatter Foundation, the CoRE Stack initiates the empowerment process in communities by leveraging data to facilitate a deeper understanding of their landscape. Through data-driven insights, communities gain knowledge about crucial factors such as water availability, forest health, topography, and land use. This foundational information forms the basis for informed decision-making. Being designed as a Digital Public Good, the CoRE stack enables an open-access co-creation network to innovate and scale digital technology solutions for ecosystem sustainability. 

Progress Update:  We are delighted  to share significant advancements in various dimensions of the stack. The stack comprises four key layers. At the first layer, we leverage machine learning on satellite imagery to generate innovative geo-spatial layers, depicting changes in cropping intensity, water-table levels, health of water bodies, forests and plantations, and welfare fund allocation over the years. The second layer involves the generation of rich analytics on diverse socio-ecological variables, including aspects of fairness and equity in resource distribution, particularly focusing on groundwater and surface water. You can check out many of these layers and simple analytics on a Google Earth Engine application. These datasets and analytics feed into the third layer, where they will serve as inputs for APIs used by tools. This will enable communities, social enterprises, and other stakeholders to gain insights into any landscape, report new findings, and plan for sustainable natural resource management, including groundwater and forests. The fourth layer involves developing tools empowering communities to advocate for NRM assets promoting resilience and sustainability under relevant government and CSR programs. It also includes monitoring the impact of interventions over time. 

Fig 1: CoRE Stack Layers

We recently field tested some aspects with promising results. Interactions and demonstrations during the field testing have been invaluable and are helping us to fine-tune our solution to address relevant needs. 

Currently, our tool stands as a robust resource for facilitators, providing them with a profound understanding of the landscape and socio-ecological dynamics. Offering detailed insights into groundwater and surface water bodies, as well as agricultural practices, the tool empowers facilitators to effectively illustrate and communicate these complex dynamics to the community. This heightened awareness fosters greater community engagement and participation.

Fig 2: Detailed insights on the health of surface water bodies – from data to action

       Fig 3: Detailed insights on the state of groundwater levels

 

Plan for the Next Quarter: The plan for the upcoming quarter is to improve and initiate pilot tests of various components of the stack, including a robust data validation exercise for several machine learning based novel datasets that we are computing.

  1. Tool Refinement: Fine-tune the existing tool based on valuable feedback received during field testing.
  2. Enhancements and New Features: Incorporate new features and functionalities to enrich the user experience, such as the integration of plantations and forests data, tutorials and awareness modules for community members, and other tools for landscape interaction.
  3. Dataset Hosting: Build a robust dataset hosting infrastructure for various layers to ensure seamless accessibility.
  4. Self-Learning Module: Develop a self-learning module titled “Know Your Landscape” to empower users with in-depth knowledge and insights into their surroundings. 

Call to Action: As we continue on this journey of innovation, we invite organizations that share our vision to engage in discussions with us on new use-cases as these perspectives are crucial in shaping the impact of our initiative. We extend a warm invitation to explore collaborative opportunities and discover how our collective efforts can drive meaningful change.

We express our gratitude for the continued support that has fueled our progress. As we move forward, we remain committed to advancing our project and creating positive impact.

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Empowering Communities through Data for Improved Socio-ecological Sustainability and Resilience


In a collaborative effort by Gram Vaani, Magasool, IIT Delhi, IIT Palakkad, FES, GIZ, SUPPORT, and 4S teams, a series of consultations were conducted in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Rajasthan to  identify key socio-ecological variables that could effectively represent the challenges faced by communities and delve into the intricate issues surrounding commons resources and livelihoods dependent on them. This blog aims to shed light on the key takeaways from our consultations report and emphasize the importance of these aspects in shaping sustainable Natural Resource Management (NRM) plans.

[Socio-ecological consultation report]

Key Takeaways: Shaping NRM Plans

The consultations aimed to capture community and governmental efforts in water security, afforestation, biodiversity conservation, and the pivotal role of MGNREGA towards these. Our goal is to eventually develop a universally applicable socio-ecological action framework that integrates ecological and social parameters but is context sensitive at the same time to transform raw data into actionable insights for local communities. 

Picture a tool that not only provides information but becomes a catalyst for informed decision-making at the grassroots level related to local restoration activities, ecologically sensitive livelihood opportunities, and market practices. 

Socio-ecological variables: Insights from the consultations revealed the importance attached by communities to some key socio-ecological aspects

  • Water resources: Communities  urged  for  assessing  the availability of water in dams, ponds  and other water structures. This information is crucial for planning crops and various livelihood-related activities. Additionally, these insights play a vital role in developing effective plans for structures that recharge groundwater, aiming to prevent over-extraction and depletion of water resources.
  • Climatic Dynamics: The evolving climate is a crucial factor in community resilience. For example, the irregular distribution of rainfall across different regions has a direct influence on agricultural productivity and these rainfall disparities can also lead to variations in soil moisture, affecting crop yields and planting seasons. In regions where rainfall is abundant, there may be a risk of soil erosion and nutrient leaching. Conversely, in areas with insufficient rainfall, drought conditions can jeopardize crop production, leading to food insecurity. Understanding these disparities empowers communities to adapt and prepare for environmental shifts and build resilience. 
  • Soil Health: The use of chemical fertilizers has had detrimental impact on soil health and raised distress with an increase in agri-input costs. Knowledge about changes in soil health can equip communities to adopt sustainable agricultural practices, promoting both environmental health and robust livelihoods.
  • Land Usage: Land, the foundation of agricultural endeavors, needs better planning especially for restoration of degraded lands to aid strategic decisions like plantation planning and rotational grazing. Armed with this information, communities can optimize land usage for sustainable practices.
  • Land & Resource Ownership:  Effective planning of NRM assets hinges on having a clear understanding of land and resource ownership. Understanding  the land and resource ownership  information can ensure fair distribution of resources, promoting social and economic equity within communities. Furthermore, it can help guarantee that the implemented plans are not only context sensitive but also tailored to meet the specific needs of all communities.
  • Biodiversity Index: Communities expressed a pressing need for a biodiversity index based on tree species in their forests. Scarcity of fruit-bearing trees leading to wild animal attacks on crops emerged as a concern. Forest officers stressed the importance of tracking tree species density and health to predict events like forest fires and use these indicators to make better plans for preservation of biodiversity and mitigation of potential ecological threats.
  • Government Scheme Intersection: Different kinds of NRM activities are funded under different schemes, and requires facilitation support to enable communities to get guided towards the appropriate schemes. 

Ecosystem Perspective:  The consultations highlighted the crucial need to shift from isolated resource approaches towards an ecosystem perspective. Recognizing the interconnected nature within an ecosystem emerged as a key takeaway, emphasizing the interdependence of various socio-ecological variables. This perspective urges a holistic understanding of how changes in one aspect may have a broad impact across the entire system. For instance, an emphasis to address biodiversity concerns in forests may require communities to diversify their livelihoods towards agriculture, and require an integrated water management plan that can sustain both water needs in forests for rejuvenation as well as for irrigation in cropped areas. The ecosystem perspective thus encourages a comprehensive approach to NRM by acknowledging the dynamic relationships between different components.

Community Engagement: The importance of actively listening to local community experiences also came out prominently, to ensure that NRM plans are tailored to address local needs, and foster a sense of ownership and commitment to conservation efforts. The unique perspectives and traditional knowledge held by communities positions them as crucial stakeholders in the sustainability journey.

Based on the consultations conducted, a comprehensive set of 80+ socio-ecological variables were developed, spanning Agriculture, Water Bodies, Forests, Pastures, Social aspects, Climatic variables, and Welfare considerations. Among variables that can be obtained from remote-sensing data, the most prominent ones were related to rainfall deviation across the years, regular time-series for runoff and groundwater recharge, surface water availability, and agricultural metrics such as cropping intensity, and changes in land use and forest health. Not all the variables can be obtained through secondary data such as from satellite imagery and other maps though; primary data will also be required for a wide range of variables such as on agricultural elements like market linkages to socio-economic aspects such as land ownership, livelihoods, and education. Further, community feedback will be needed to appropriately weigh different ecological considerations based on the context, such as variables related to forest and pasture dynamics, invasive species, and extreme weather events. Cultural elements such as sacred groves and socio-demographic factors including caste distribution and women-led households will also need to be modeled. Economic variables, political connectedness, and welfare scheme utilization were also examined, to build a holistic understanding of a region’s dynamics. An extensive survey has been prepared to collect such data. 

Next step:  Build Digital Public Infrastructures

Based on the insights, we have begun working on the CoRE Stack  (Commoning for Resilience and Equality), a digital public infrastructure for climate adaptation by rural communities. This stack enables an open-access co-creation network, fostering innovation and scalability of digital technology solutions for ecosystem sustainability. Currently, the first tool being built on the CoRE stack, Commons Connect, stands as a robust resource for  community volunteers, providing them with a profound understanding of the landscape and socio-ecological dynamics. Offering detailed insights into groundwater and surface water bodies, as well as agricultural practices, the tool empowers them to effectively illustrate and communicate these complex dynamics to the community. Read the first quarter update on the CoRE stack.

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Beyond Boundaries: Kaneez Fatima’s Pursuit of Community Change at Mobile Vaani


“It was one of the most moving events of my life when the grievance I recorded for someone not receiving a pension was resolved. I could see and feel the impact of my work on the Mobile Vaani network”. – Kaneez Fatima, Mobile Vaani Volunteer

Meet Kaneez Fatima, a 35-year-old woman from Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh. Three months ago, after stepping into her role as a volunteer with Mobile Vaani, Kaneez became one of the most familiar voices in the Mobile Vaani community. 

Born and raised in the small and one of the weaker districts of the Bundelkhand regions of Uttar Pradesh, Kaneez had an early marriage, became a mother of two and her husband works as an auto driver. One evening, her fate led her to Mobile Vaani, when she visited Banda to meet her elder sister. There she witnessed several community women gathered for a meeting led by a Mobile Vaani volunteer, Rizwana. She saw how  the women  were discussing their problems and how patiently Rizwana answered each of them and facilitated the recording of the grievances of women present there. This entire scene made a lasting impression on Kaneez, and later she thought that if Banda could have such a network, she could be the sole starter in creating a similar network of Mobile Vaani in Mahoba. She went to Rizwana and shared this idea, who in turn responded by connecting her with the state lead, Anis. After understanding from him how this could be done, she discussed this with her husband. With his full support she joined Mobile Vaani then and started this volunteer network in a new geography, Mahoba.

Kaneez vividly recalls a defining moment during her visit to a 42 km away village of Pagmau Tiyala in Chitrakoot. Accompanied by her husband on one late evening, she was overwhelmed by the number of people with grievances awaiting resolution. Several grievances were related to sanitation, garbage and cleaning up of their village roads, in addition to issues with the ration card and aadhar card. She adds that, if she had to help every person record their grievances she would have been there the whole night. This experience left an indelible impression on Kaneez, highlighting the desperate need of the people to be heard when no other avenue was available.

As a part of her weekly plan to increase outreach, she organizes community meetings in the neighboring villages of Mahoba, conveying a powerful message: that only if you can record your grievances on Mobile Vaani, Mobile Vaani will work for us in addressing these grievances. Kaneez convinced her community to use Mobile Vaani’s IVR technology and the mobile app to record their grievances, listen to the programs and ensure that other Mobile Vaani volunteers like her would see how grievances were being addressed.

Challenges

Her challenges as a woman from a minority community include conforming to societal expectations and being the primary caregiver for  the family. She adheres to predefined roles and activities as part of the belief system prevalent in her community. Kaneez faces several other challenges – the biggest is people’s fear of technology, of their phone being hacked or getting financially scammed by fraudsters posing as bank officials. Incidentally, this is something even Kaneez fears. However, because she understands why technology can help, she tries to address these concerns by explaining it in a simple manner. She assures them further saying,  why would she  travel all these long distances if she had to give wrong information or mislead them.

 

Change within a three month journey

 

Despite having studied till only the 8th-grade, Kaneez emphasizes on how her training and continuous learning from fellow Mobile Vaani volunteers and field managers have empowered her. She now exudes confidence and marvels at her newfound ability to engage with government officials, panchayat officials, and mukhiyas (village heads) and being respected for her volunteer work within her community as an MVN volunteer. She is also identified as a journalist due to her impactful reporting of local issues on Mobile Vaani. As she reflects on her journey, Kaneez acknowledges the dual role of Mobile Vaani. While it undoubtedly provides technological and logistical support for communities with their grievances and getting their voice heard, its transformative effect on her personal life is beyond expression. Kaneez expresses heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities Mobile Vaani has opened up for her.

Way ahead

Presently, Kaneez eagerly anticipates interviewing SP Aparna Singh, aiming to build a personal relationship that could facilitate a smoother resolution of grievances. In her quest to address the diverse issues recorded under programs, Kaneez has found her niche in resolving pension-related matters. For her, ensuring pensions for the elderly is a fundamental need, as it is their sole financial resource, post-retirement.

Kaneez Fatima’s journey with Mobile Vaani exemplifies resilience and dedication. Her efforts have not only empowered the people of Mahoba but also showcased the transformative potential of how a participatory, inclusive, bottom-up media platform can address the diverse needs of and enable low-income communities in rural and remote regions to bring positive changes in their lives. Breaking free from preconceived societal constraints, Kaneez Fatima pioneers a path towards a broader, more inclusive world of opportunities, advocating for social and gender equality through her transformative work in community engagement via Mobile Vaani. 

Kaneez Fatima in addition to being a Mobile Vaani volunteer, is also a singer with her own YouTube channel and songs on Mobile Vaani. She strives to balance each of her roles as a mother, wife, daughter and socially conscious and active member of her community according to her faith. Girls and adults alike look up to her as an inspiration.

At Gram Vaani’s flagship programme, Mobile Vaani, our community volunteers network weaves community bonds with unwavering commitment. Their volunteer spirit not only echoes through the voices they amplify but resonates as a testament to the transformative power of grassroots efforts in making a meaningful difference on the ground.