Lifelines

"Lifelines is one of the most creative ways I have seen of using ICT technology to bring life-enhancing expertise to remote communities in a way that they can readily access." - Arun Seth, chairman, BT India.

For farmers in rural India, advice on how best to protect their crops or livestock can be thin on the ground. So if disaster strikes, or the farmer is faced with a problem never before encountered, the hope of saving his family from destitution or even starvation can literally depend on his access to clear information about what to do.

Lifelines India was launched in direct response to this need to bridge gaps in knowledge and help farmers access the expert advice they need, at the exact time they need it.

All a farmer had to do was buy just two phone calls from a local kiosk (or from a neighbours mobile phone no need to even own a phone themselves!). First they call the Lifelines number, where they would be given a reference number and could then ask their questions. The queries were then immediately circulated to a panel of Indias agricultural experts, whose advice is stored in the Lifelines database. The farmer then makes their second call to the service at a time of their choosing, gives their reference number and picks up the answers needed.

Simple as that in theory. But would farmers unaccustomed to modern technology really benefit from such a service, or even be willing to try it out? The service was launched in December 2006, and the results have been speaking for themselves. Within the first few months, farmers asked 9,000 questions - and the rate of questions received each day keeps rising. Over the last year, coverage has steadily increased and now reaches 40,000 farmers in 700 villages across four states, with more than 300 calls to the service taken each day. The database of frequently asked questions has swelled to 85,000 and is so content rich that it is now possible to start analyzing it for trends opening up new possibilities for developing the service further.

With such great success among farmers, Lifelines is being adapted to support other groups, such as teachers and students in rural areas of West Bengal.

Lifelines for Education will operate in the same way as it has done for farmers, with teachers making just two calls to access an advice and information service that will help them best support their students. Their query will be put to a panel of experts and the answer relayed back to the teacher within 48 hours.

The service will be implemented by OneWorld South Asia (OWSA) alongside the QUEST Alliance, which has provided financial support, and Vikramshila Educational Resource Society (Vikramshila), a respected educational resource organisation.

For details, see: http://www.lifelines-india.net