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Project Name: Kisan Sanchar
Organisation: Srishti Gyan Kendra
Location: Rohtak, Haryana
Project since: 2010
Project URL: www.kisansanchar.com

Description

Kisan Sanchar is an interactive platform for scientists, agricultural experts, institutions for sharing their technology and knowledge with the registered subscribers i.e. farmers who have willingly opted for the mobile information service. The Kisan Sancharknowledge is shared in Hindi language in text as well as voice format. It is an enterprise based communication platform to broadcast text and voice messages on the mobile phones of individual farmers. It enables its users (which are mainly agricultural experts and institutions) to send personalized and interactive outbound text and voice messages at the touch of a button.

Farmers register themselves voluntarily to Kisan Sanchar by contacting project volunteers and by making a missed call on a dedicated mobile number 9812430006. The call is automatically disconnected after one ring and number is registered on the database. Farmer’s membership is confirmed by delivering a text message on his mobile phone.

Kisan Sanchar delivers free of cost knowledge content developed by Krishi Vigyan Kendras and various Agricultural Universities in form of text & voice messages to the member farmers registered with Kisan Sanchar through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

Approximately 33066 farmers from seven states of India (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan & Gujarat) have voluntarily opted for the services of Kisan Sanchar through various Krishi Vigyan Kendras and are being benefitted from free of cost the services.

Result: Launched with full effect on 1st September, 2010, the project since then has broadcasted around 1500 messages to approximately 33066 farmers in 7 states (J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Rajasthan & Gujarat). Kisan Sanchar launched its Voice Messaging on 19-2-2011 in the state of Gujarat. It has covered 140 districts in North India.

Project Strength, Weakness, Improvisation & Scalability

  • The project ‘Kisan Sanchar’ through mobile phones bring agri-extension information services to farmers for better agriculture practices and also promotes environment friendly impact through organic practices. It is a cluster based approach focused on the farmers’ community exclusively.
  • The project is considered to have potential, as it has already covered 140 districts in North India. Technology and program are both scalable.
  • It needs to improvise on larger database management and number of people to be served. As of now volume of data is not manageable centrally. Local language support and reply options on mobile not available. Help line facility in each state is a need area.
  • The means of scaling up would be collaborating with diverse set of agencies. Also the project is required to collaborate with research institutes to generate knowledge resources for further dissemination.
  • The project sustainability is an area of concern in medium and long term. The free of cost delivery of information to farmers involves sending SMSs which has a cost implication for Kisan Sanchar to purchase SMS service from service provider.