ICT and AG Profile: MojaCast

Supported by USAID’s Fostering Agriculture Competitiveness Employing Information Communication Technologies (FACET) project under the FIELD-Support LWA, this profile discusses MojaCast, an interactive voice messaging product that allows users to send customized, pre-recorded voice messages in bulk, with question and answer response capabilities (e.g. ‘press 1 for yes; 2 for no’). The system also aggregates user statistics (e.g. contact made, recipient responses) to facilitate administrator information management. In Ghana, MojaCast has been being piloted since March 2012 to allow ‘nucleus’ farmers/traders—many with hundreds or thousands of outgrowers in their networks—to communicate more efficiently and effectively with farmers. Messages can include market prices, reminders on application times for agro-chemicals or other key production practices, or coordination information for delivery schedules.

The FACET project aims to help USAID missions and their implementing partners in sub-Saharan Africa use information and communications technology in sustainable and scalable approaches to improve the impact of their agriculture related development projects.