The dynamic growth of mobile communications technology is creating opportunities for economic growth, social empowerment, and grassroots innovation in developing countries.
... See More + One of the areas with the greatest potential impact is in the contribution that mobile applications can make to agricultural and rural development (ARD), by providing access to information, markets, and services to millions of rural inhabitants. For both agricultural supply and demand, mobile phones can reduce waste, make delivery more efficient, and forge closer links between farmers and consumers. This report provides policymakers and development practitioners with a guide that facilitates the development and deployment of mobile applications for ARD. It also informs their understanding of the key drivers for promoting such applications and services in their countries. Using James Moore’s (1996) revised definition of ecosystems: economic communities based on interacting organizations and individuals the report identifies a wide range of players in the ecosystem for m-ARD apps, such as mobile network operators, m-app (mobile applications) providers, content providers, and various types of users. M-apps are software designed to take advantage of mobile technology and can be developed for technology besides mobile phones. But mobile phones have many key advantages: affordability, wide ownership, voice communications, and instant and convenient service delivery. As a result, there has been a global explosion in the number of m-apps, facilitated by the rapid evolution of mobile networks and by the increasing functions and falling prices of mobile handsets. M-apps are markedly different in developing countries because they typically run on second-generation (2G) phones rather than smartphones, which are far more common in developed countries. The report reviews country examples and extracts policy lessons and good practices. It also presents detailed studies of cases from Kenya, Philippines, and Sri Lanka, as well as summarizes 92 case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the development impact, ecosystem, and business models for mobile applications in ARD. The report is intended to complement the recent ICT in Agriculture eSourcebook. One of the main findings is that an enabling platform (or platforms) is probably the most important factor for the development of m-ARD apps. Platforms can facilitate interactions among ecosystem players, increase access to users, provide technical standards, and incorporate payment mechanisms.
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Mobile health (mHealth) the use of mobile technology applications for healthcare is a young and dynamic field that could improve the well-being of people around the world.
... See More + Mobile applications can lower costs and improve the quality of healthcare as well as shift behavior to strengthen prevention, all of which can improve health outcomes over the long term. As an intersection of health, technology, and finance, mHealth is also a complex industry where it can be difficult to develop sustainable business models. This report assesses the current state of mHealth in the developing world, including extensive case studies of three countries Haiti, India, and Kenya with very different health sectors, financing options, and technological bases. It examines interventions serving entirely new functions in the health system, less costly substitutes for existing interventions, and interactive functions that multiply the power of existing interventions. In addition, the report identifies emerging trends, risks, and opportunities in the industry's immediate future. This report is intended to be a tool for donors and governments to understand the growing mHealth industry and anticipate the policy issues that will affect its development. The use of mobile technology creates more than 5 billion points of contact between consumers, healthcare workers, health system administrators, and firms in supply chains for health commodities. Finally, access to care can benefit from health financing applications based on mobile devices, which can reduce the overall cost of care, including health system costs associated with treating and managing chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS, often in conjunction with other mobile applications.
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