mFarms ICT Platform Launched 5 November 2012, Tamale, Ghana – Supporting the introduction of new business solutions into the agricultural sector, the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC), with funding from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), launched mFarms, its information and communications technology (ICT) platform. The launch took place on 23 October 2012, at the Radach Lodge and Conference Center in Tamale, Ghana. mFarms is a web- and cell phone-based platform (www.mfarms.org) that provides affordable tools to build linkages and improve communications and operational efficiencies among actors along the agricultural value chain. The platform was developed by Image-AD Ltd, a Ghanaian company and leader in mobile application systems, to assist IFDC in the implementation of the AGRA-funded Linking Farmers to Markets (FtM) project. The platform offers the potential to make agriculture and agribusiness more lucrative. mFarms is designed to create operational efficiencies by allowing organizations, associations and identifiable groups to serve a large number of their geographically dispersed members or affiliates. As a decision support tool, mFarms can be used for production and purchase planning, broadcast of alerts and extension information, verification of adherence to production techniques and schedules and the calculation of production and transaction costs. Currently, mFarms is being used successfully to link smallholder farmers at the base-of-the-pyramid to structured staple food markets and to plan, monitor and market agricultural inputs and food products. IFDC is a public international organization focusing on increasing and sustaining food security and agricultural productivity in developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise. AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of agricultural value chain development in Africa – from seeds to soil health and water to markets and agricultural education. Image-AD has over five years of experience in ICT and focuses on the development, management and delivery of mobile phone and internet-based applications and the web-based Short Message Service (SMS) of computer systems for mobile phones. ### IFDC Contacts: Abass Nyo Karim FtM Project Leader anyo@ifdc.org +233 244210420
Courtney Greene cgreene@ifdc.org +1-256-381-6600 ext. 357