Kheti: mobile multimedia in an agricultural co-operative

Kheti is a mobile phone-based, multimedia communication system to support sharing of agricultural knowledge and advice within a producers' co-operative. The first version of this system was designed with, and was tested by, the Sironj Crop Producers Company Ltd, a co-operative of small farmers working in Madhya Pradesh, Central India. In this paper, we describe the Kheti system and examine how it addresses the problems of making agricultural knowledge available by recognizing that practical knowledge is always located within a complex network of social relations and practices. We also examine the results of field trials and some of the challenges in seeking to convert a successful technology into a sustainable development intervention. © 2010 Springer-Verlag