Grant Amount: US$ 30,000

Keywords: AGRICULTURE, ECONOMIC, PRODUCTIVITY, INFORMATION MANAGEMENT, SMS, PHILIPPINES

Geographic coverage: Philippines

Objective

The objective of this project is to enable seed growers and seed centres to link together and share a real-time seed stock inventory system.

Research context

In 1994 the Philippine Rice Research Institute created a national seed network called "SeedNet" with 100 seed centres that multiply foundation seeds from local farmers and sell them to commercial seed growers for further multiplication. As the network has been limited by lack of connectivity and real-time exchange of information, this project aims to develop a Short Messaging Service (SMS)-based Rice Seed Stock Inventory System using mobile phones that will enable seed growers and seed centres to link together and share information using a real-time seed stock inventory system. The system will have an SMS server to handle incoming data and queries and a database to process data and generate reports.

Target beneficiaries

Key beneficiaries are considered to be the 100 accredited SeedNet members, 35,000 seed growers and about one million rice farmers nationwide in the Philippines.

Outputs 

• Develop a real-time seed stock inventory system; 
• Enable farmers to query seed stock through SMS; and
• Link breeding centres, SeedNet and commercial seed growers.

Research results and outcomes

To date project work has primarily focused on devising an appropriate technology solution. The solution has gone through several evolutions since the project began. First, the Department of Science and Technology - Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) provided a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) modem linked to a Microsoft Windows-based user interface that allowed an operator to read and reply to text messages. The project then subscribed to a line account from a cellular company (SMART Communications) offering SMS. However the system proved to be unstable due to bugs in the coding and had limitations in the number of text messages the system could handle. Another setback at this point was the resignation of the programmer who left the project without completing the database.

In response to these setbacks the project decided to acquire a new system called GIVE ME Unlimited SMS from M2M company. The service is an SMS-based customer support software much like a call centre that can be accessed from the Internet. The new system proved more stable. It allowed the project team to create keywords and assign them to content providers (breeders, seed personnel, sales office, SeedNet managers) and has a database to store names, phone numbers and addresses. This was deployed in a Farmers’ Call Centre. By March 2006, the project was receiving more than 600 text queries per month. In a further evolution, the project negotiated with a commercial Telco to provide a web-based SMS platform that could handle over a thousand users and transfer the cost of the text queries to users. In November 2005, the project joined with SMART Communications Inc. to provide a web-based customer support system via text, and in December it launched the SMART 700RICE SMS service.

At this point the project signed memorandums with two farmer cooperatives in Davao, Del Sur, Mindanao that agreed to test the services. These are the Magsaysay Farmers MultiPurpose Cooperative, Inc. and the Hagonoy Farmers’ Cooperative. Under the agreement, PhilRice will work with the cooperatives to test the web portal services, farmers call centre and online payment. PhilRice provided the cooperatives with a wireless Internet connection installed in a desktop computer. Using this system the cooperatives will explore selling hybrid and organic rice products to areas outside of Mindanao.

Since that time the project has launched its web portal at (http://www.openacademy.ph). The project is currently developing its database, and when completed, it will be tested in the SeedNet Organization. The test will involve reporting of production data from members and compiling the inventory lists at PhilRice and then having members inquire about the availability of seed stocks. The working system will then be deployed in the cooperatives already identified by the project. The project is also looking at other features to enhance the service such as online payment and marketing tools.

Project Duration

Start Date: January 2005
End Date: January 2007
Total Duration: 25 Months

Contact information

Roger F. Barroga, Head, Information and Communications Technology Division
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice)
Philippines
Email: roger@philrice.gov.ph

Website: http://www.openacademy.ph

Reference websites

http://www.smart.com.ph
http://www.b2bpricenow.com