A customised low-cost combination phone and tablet computer called ‘GreenPHABLET powered by the GreenSIM’ was launched by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT).

“ICRISAT has been at the forefront of using the latest technology to benefit smallholder farmers. The GreenPHABLET will allow information to be precisely targeted to individual smallholder farmers. This will help farmers purchase inputs at lower price, get a better price for their produce, and link them to markets, thus putting them on the path to prosperity,” said William Dar, ICRISAT’s Director-General, while launching the GreenPHABLET, on Monday, according to a release here on Tuesday.
Internet connectivity

The GreenPHABLET powered by the GreenSIM is priced at US$ 299 and has been developed by the ICRISAT Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovations for Agriculture in collaboration with NUNC Systems, a company based in Hyderabad..

“The device acts like a mobile village knowledge centre/common service centre, enabling farmers to benefit from contemporary information and communication technologies and expanding Internet connectivity in remote rural regions,” says Dr. Dileepkumar Guntuku, Global Leader and Director, ICRISAT Centre of Excellence in ICT Innovations for Agriculture.
Real time info sharing

“Real time information sharing between farmers and researchers enables farmers to improve crop productivity and researchers to collect accurate data in real time. This lays the road for future innovations in the field of agriculture,” says Sandeep Dega, Senior Director, NUNC Systems.

The GreenSIM is a special SIM card that can be used with any mobile phone.

Apart from regular phone services developing world smallholder farmers receive free messages about the weather and pest problems while sharing the most competitive agricultural input and crop prices.

This has proven successful in pilot tests.

“In 171 villages across three States of India (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka), farm incomes have gone up since farmers can now compare prices of agricultural crops and inputs offered by both the traditional local agent and, now, via the GreenSIM,” says Dr Guntuku.

The GreenSIM was created under partnership between ICRISAT, mobile phone service provider Airtel, and the IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative) Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL).