Promoting Trade Integration in Regional Legume Markets with Mobile Technology

Principal Investigator

Co-PIs/Research Team

Technical Partners

Venture Garden Group

Dennis Phillips (Dept. of Computer Science MSU)

Overview

This project will examine how mobile-phone technology can bridge the barriers between farmers, wholesalers and retailers in the legume value chains. The goal is to improve the functioning of existing markets, and to promote market integration between the major producing areas and markets in West Africa.

The mobile-phone based service will allow producers and traders to communicate and agree on the quantities they wish to sell, and the prices they will accept. It also allows users to rate the quality of services and products received, using multiple local and foreign language options.

The project promises research opportunities in understanding the adoption of mobile-phone-based technology in value chains, the drivers of effective communication between farmers and sellers, as well as the effects of communications improvements on market outcomes. The project works in Nigeria and Niger.

The mobile application was successfully launched in June 2021 in Nigeria. The team is now working under Phase 2 to expand KasuwaGo into Niger, continue to support the deployment in Nigeria, and initiate data collection and analysis to address the project’s research objectives.

Start Date

January 1, 2021

Anticipated End Date

December 31, 2023

Funding

USAID funded Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research

Partnering institutions

  • University of Ilorin, Nigeria
  • Center for Drylands Agriculture, Bayero University, Nigeria
  • International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Nigeria
  • Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, Niger

For more information go to the Innovation Lab for Legume Systems Research webpage.

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