The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat) launced a customised low-cost combination phone and tablet computer called ‘Green Phablet’ for smallholder farmers.
The gadget, priced at $299, will provide information about weather, pest problems and prices of agricultural inputs and crops.
The gadget has been developed in collaboration with NUNC Systems using the Green SIM. “It will help farmers receive free messages pertaining to weather and pest problems, apart from competitive agricultural input and crop prices, said an Icrisat statement.
Icrisat said that Green Phablet acts like a mobile village knowledge centre, which will enable farmers to benefit from contemporary information sharing among the farmers and researchers. With the exchange of information, farmers will be able to improve crop productivity and connect to the market in the better way.
