The User Generated Content team is working to bring the power of internet-like search to farmers across developing countries, many of whom have minimal formal education and are technologically challenged. The team is developing a voice-based and search-enabled social community, whereby farmers can retrieve knowledge on-demand and share best practices using their mobile phones. The solution is being co-created with users to help farmers grow both their crops and their incomes.
Original Challenge: Around the world, sharing information through user-generated content has become a powerful movement for positive social change. A wide variety of practices, knowledge and stories reside with the people of Ghana, yet there are currently few outlets for sharing this information outside one’s immediate circle of personal acquaintances. Even when information is available, it may not be easily accessible or in an appropriate language. This project is to develop a tool to facilitate the collection and sharing of broadly accessible user-generated content with a focus on traditional knowledge, and a viable business model for the tool and/or associated service.