Embattled Indian farmers facing the threat of drought, pestilence and cyclonic storms are turning to mobile telephones to give them advance warning of livelihood-threatening disasters which could lie ahead. The Telegraph reports.
"Although much of Indian agriculture still relies on the bullock and the buffalo, the use of mobile phones to warn of dangers and share market information is promising to revolutionize life for many.
In a scheme set up by India’s equivalent of Oxbridge - the Indian Institute of Technology in Mumbai - farmers are using SMS messages to receive alerts and ask questions of experts and colleagues.
Called "aAQUA" - short for "almost all questions answered" - the scheme enables farmers to enquire about everything from projected rainfall patterns, disease forecasts for plants and animals and to how to milk buffaloes more efficiently."
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