Improving Agricultural Market Performance:
Developing Agricultural Market Information Systems
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marketing decisions. There was strong evidence of seasonality in the use of MIS, peaking around
the harvest season when most farmers consider selling their products but subsequently tailing
off (NRI, ibid). There was also a high level of concentration of users’ interest in a few products,
in particular, cereals such as maize, sorghum, millet, cowpea and sesame. This is in contrast with
strategies adopted most MIS service providers, who often aim to cover as wide a range of
commodities as possible. The following reasons were cited by farmers for using the MIS:
broadening the choice of buyers for farmers; facilitating negotiations based on knowledge of
prices in relevant markets, and saving time for producers who are interested in selling. For most
traders, the system offers choice in terms of who they can from; the types of products
available in accessible markets, and locations they can sell int .
According to the report by NRI (2017), the combined effects of ding using theWRS and taking
advantage of available market information was an estimated 20% increase in income per
kilogramme of grains sold by farmers. Whilst farmers sold the bulk of the stocks deposited
(about 60%), they retained the rest for household consumption. Hence, household food security
was not at risk because farmers had new, more remunerative marketing opportunities. MFIs
were also able to value grains used as collateral for inventory finance and monitor this value by
means of theMIS. Farmers enjoyed a boost in household income because they invested the credit
provided in the production of cotton as well as in fattening sheep and goats for the market.
4.4.2 REGIONAL-LEVEL INNOVATIONS IN 2GMIS IN WEST AFRICA: MANOBI Another example of a regional MIS in West Africa is the Senegal-based MANOBI, which has
branches in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali and Niger. It was established in 2001 and,
yypical of the 2GMIS type, it uses modern ICT in the collection, processing and dissemination of
market information as depicted in Figure 23. Its enumerators use tablets or smartphones to
transmit field data automatically whilst information dissemination is via mobile SMS facilities
and through call centres. To minimise access difficulties for smallholder farmers, it also
facilitates information-sharing through a network of village chiefs and teachers.
Figure 23: MANOBI Market Information Collection and Dissemination Proc s
Source
17 These emerged through a survey of users as part of an evaluation undertaken under FARMAF (NRI, 2017).