Ritu Mausami Krishi Farm increased its vegetables production nearly about 20 percent and solved the problems of crop diseases, weather forecast and market prices through the use of IFAKrishi android-based mobile application. MTCP2 Nepal supports and trains farmers for agricultural information access and dissemination.
The farm is run by a group of farmers and led by woman farmer Tika Bastola. The group established the farm with a financial investment of Rs 2 million in 2014 at Dhaphakhel village, Lalitpur district of Nepal. They produce 15,000 kg of tomato and 15,000 kg of other vegetables per season.
35-year old Tika Bastola said, “We are growing tomato and other vegetables at our Krishi Farm (Ritu Mausami). At this phase, weather forecast and market price information from IFAKrishi is a big help to us. Tomatoes in plastic tunnels are about to be harvested. We are checking the best prices by using the IFAkrishi app when we sell in the coming days. Besides weather forecast and market prices, we also get information on the use of organic fertilizer, vitamins and pesticides.”
IFAKrishi, an android based mobile application platform, is a one-stop solution for information access and dissemination. The main part of the application features support to farmers through agriculture news, fertilizer calculation, pest/disease and remedies for crops and animals, facility to post instant inquiries in the farmer forum and get solutions from experts, find market price and trader information of various markets, among others. Farmers can also get notification about opportunities posted by government and non-government organizations.
MTCP2 promotes value chain development and market linkage through the use of ICT and connects farmers with market traders and agriculture experts. The program supports individual farmers and farmers’ group including youth, dalit, women and indigenous farmers on agriculture production and marketing through Information and communication technology. Approximately 200 farmers are benefited by this ICT project.
(Report and photo from Binod of MTCP2 Nepal)
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