Towards large-scale decision support for farmers: site and season specific advice for maize agronomy in Malawi

In much of sub-Saharan Africa, national agricultural extension systems are severely constrained as extension worker: farmer ratio can be as high as 5000. A network of lead farmers complements the efforts of extension personnel. Regrettably, this combined effort falls far too short for effective diss...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Chikowo, Regis, Christensen, Kennet, Snapp, Sieglinde S.
Format: Informe técnico
Language:Inglés
Published: 2020
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/110151
Description
Summary:In much of sub-Saharan Africa, national agricultural extension systems are severely constrained as extension worker: farmer ratio can be as high as 5000. A network of lead farmers complements the efforts of extension personnel. Regrettably, this combined effort falls far too short for effective dissemination of technologies to farmers. Interactive voice response (IVR) is a potential technology to reach farmers with agronomic messages, especially those that own cellphones in remote areas. These farmers could become hotspots for sustained change.