The encyclopedia · Software & IT · Product decision · 2008–2015
Esoko sent market prices to farmers by SMS and built a business on it
Esoko turned market-price data into paid SMS subscriptions, then into tools serving two million farmers in 20+ countries.
Esoko
the move
Esoko was established in 2008 as a social enterprise using information and communication technology to reshape agricultural markets in Africa, built on the belief that enhanced access to information fortifies markets and improves livelihoods.
The service delivers agricultural market prices, agronomic advisories and weather information to farmers by mobile phone, turning data that existed but was unreachable into a paid subscription farmers act on when deciding where and when to sell.
A 2013 Springer case study using the UNDP inclusive-markets framework derived a 14-factor model for sustainable market information services, showing such services are dynamic and must be continuously maintained rather than built once like an enterprise IT system.
why it works
- Mobile phones were already in farmers' hands, so delivery cost was near zero.
- Price information changes a farmer's selling decision immediately.
- A subscription model makes the service self-sustaining instead of donor-dependent.
- Continuous service, not one-off build, is what keeps the information valuable.
what transfers
Information that is technically public still has value if delivery is the bottleneck: package it into alerts people pay for and you create a market where none existed.
what came after
Esoko expanded beyond price alerts into data collection, biometric profiling and advisory services, connecting two million farmers in more than 20 countries.
references
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