| A quiet revolution has taken place in | | | | sector in East Africa? Very likely. |
| the last half a century - the telematics | | | | Global markets for livestock are skewed. |
| revolution. For the last 40 years the | | | | Organisation of Economic Cooperation and |
| cost of processing, storing, and | | | | Development (OECD) countries spend |
| transmitting information has been | | | | US$360 billion a year subsidising their |
| decreasing at the rate of 50% every 18 | | | | agriculture. Development aid for all |
| months (Delgado et al, 1998). | | | | sectors is just US$50 billion. The US |
| There is an unprecedented amount of | | | | spends US$600 per cow per year |
| information available, in all sectors, | | | | supporting its dairy industry - more |
| supplied through a wide range of media. | | | | than what the average person in East |
| To give examples, three important | | | | Africa has to live on. The situation is |
| web-based information sites, with a | | | | not improving. The EU's final tariffs |
| special focus on Pastoralism in East | | | | for the year 2000 were almost two-thirds |
| Africa have recently come on-line - The | | | | above the actual tariff equivalent for |
| League for Pastoral Peoples and | | | | 1989-1993. For the US, they were more |
| Endogenous Development ( Famine Early | | | | than three-quarters higher. |
| Warning Systems Network ( and Community | | | | The US Farm Bill signed in May 2002 |
| Animal Health Network ( | | | | gives US$45 billion to the US farm |
| Death to the Digital Divide? | | | | industry. With the money US farmers get |
| With the growth in information, a | | | | from the tax payer, they will be able to |
| digital divide has developed between the | | | | sell farm goods at lower prices, |
| information rich and the information | | | | undercutting more efficient producers in |
| poor. Tokyo has more telephones than the | | | | developing countries. This inequitable |
| whole of Africa. In Africa, one person | | | | system is maintained partly by the |
| in every 150 has access to the Internet | | | | lobbying of powerful interest groups in |
| with the majority being in South Africa | | | | OECD countries. The lack of effective |
| and the Magreb (Delgado et al, 1998). | | | | and coordinated counter lobbying by |
| But the digital divide is narrowing. For | | | | developing countries is one of the |
| instance, Moroto, a small town in the | | | | factors allowing it to persist. |
| heart of Karamoja, Uganda, now has a | | | | Cost of Ignorance: Models of Worst |
| high-speed satellite Internet link, | | | | Practice |
| through which it is possible to surf the | | | | Information can help prevent spending |
| net at similar speeds to those in | | | | money on things that don't work. Years |
| Kampala. Mobile phone networks are | | | | of development interventions have |
| rapidly expanding across the region and | | | | generated large amounts of information |
| they have already reached Moyale in | | | | on what works, what doesn't and why. For |
| northern Kenya. Mobile phones can now be | | | | example, community-run dips are rarely |
| used for voice communication, text | | | | successful in pastoral areas. Of the 48 |
| messages, or sending e-mails. | | | | cattle dips built in North East Uganda |
| Using the text messaging service, | | | | in 1995 for example, only one was |
| farmers and herders can access the | | | | functional in 2002 (King and Mugerwa, |
| latest market information for their | | | | 2002). Community drug users associations |
| livestock and farm produce.In Somalia a | | | | run on a volunteer basis rarely work. In |
| network of radios is used to transmit | | | | northern Kenya more than three quarters |
| marketing information and place | | | | of the community drug shops have failed |
| pharmaceutical orders. With relatively | | | | to deliver profits and been plagued by |
| inexpensive technology, radios can also | | | | mismanagement and poor performance. |
| be used to send e-mails. In Uganda | | | | (Grace and Muraguri, Oct 2001). |
| information on livestock is provided in | | | | Understanding the past is essential to |
| alternative adult education programmes. | | | | avoid an endless cycle of repeating |
| Songs in local languages on animal | | | | mistakes. But even worse than spending |
| disease control are being recorded and | | | | money on things that don't work, is |
| broadcast on local radio stations. In | | | | spending money on mutually destructive |
| Turkana, community video is used to | | | | strategies. Schizophrenic development is |
| communicate peace messages. | | | | still too commonplace in the East |
| Cost of Information | | | | African Livestock Sector. |
| However, information has a price. Radio | | | | In Kenya and Uganda some development |
| and film are expensive to produce | | | | agents are providing subsidised drugs |
| despite having a wide outreach. Printed | | | | while others in the same area are |
| material remains an important medium but | | | | supporting privatisation. In one |
| poor infrastructure adds to the cost and | | | | pastoral area, the local government is |
| due to language barriers and high | | | | trying to develop the local economy at |
| illiteracy levels, the material is often | | | | the same time as the army is closing |
| not accessible to the people who need it | | | | livestock markets! |
| most. But all is not lost. | | | | The Role of Regional Information |
| New initiatives currently emerging are | | | | Management in Creating an Enabling |
| making packaging and presentation of | | | | Environment |
| development content on radio possible. | | | | Regional organisations play a key role |
| For instance, a radio programme in | | | | in information management. Most |
| Kiswahili christened 'Mali Shambani' - | | | | important of these is the creation of an |
| meaning wealth in the farm - is airing | | | | enabling environment for the knowledge |
| on Kenya's national radio service - the | | | | economy. This entails reducing tariff |
| Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) | | | | and non tariff barriers to the |
| every Monday. | | | | information sector, providing public |
| The initiative provides a sustainable | | | | good information incentives for private |
| opportunity for development sector | | | | good information, investment in |
| players in the country to provide media | | | | education and infrastructure, |
| content at no cost. KBC packages | | | | encouraging competition and decreasing |
| information provided by the content | | | | entry barriers to the information |
| provider for the FM radio at no cost | | | | sector. |
| because the bulk of the provider's | | | | Is it Encouraging Information Exchange? |
| revenue comes from income earned through | | | | The rules that govern the movement of |
| advertisements run during the one hour | | | | livestock and livestock products are |
| programming. | | | | increasingly evidence based and |
| Although there has been increasing | | | | information needs to flow both between |
| liberalisation and privatisation in what | | | | members and from the East African Bloc |
| was for most countries a highly | | | | to external markets. Information does |
| controlled and inefficient sector, the | | | | not move where there are no incentives. |
| use of innovative communication | | | | Indeed for much disease-related |
| technology is still constrained by | | | | information there may be perverse |
| imperfect markets. | | | | incentives not to exchange information. |
| Cost of Ignorance: Disease | | | | Producers are tempted to ignore |
| But though information is not cheap, | | | | problems, hoping they will go away |
| ignorance is more expensive. Livestock | | | | rather than inform customers and |
| disease is estimated to cost sub-Saharan | | | | regulators there is a problem. Certainly |
| Africa US$2 billion - twice what is | | | | this was a factor in the ban on exports |
| earned by export of livestock and | | | | from Africa to the Middle East as the |
| livestock products (King and Mugerwa, | | | | result of Rift Valley Fever, which cost |
| 2002). | | | | exporters in Africa millions of dollars. |
| Cost of Ignorance: Exclusion from | | | | Regional organisations can facilitate |
| Markets | | | | the setting up of simple, workable, |
| Lack of information also excludes | | | | evidence-based systems for information |
| farmers from domestic and international | | | | exchange, and perhaps more importantly |
| markets. Livestock is the fastest | | | | by building trust between members and |
| growing agricultural sub-sector and over | | | | markets both internal and external. Only |
| 90% of the predicted growth will occur | | | | then will the information exchange be |
| in developing countries. In the next 20 | | | | deemed viable. |
| years meat consumption will increase by | | | | References |
| one third - 220 million tonnes in 2001 | | | | Delgado, L. Hopkins, J. & Kelly V. |
| to 310 million tonnes in 2020 (Delgado | | | | (1998) 'Agricultural Growth Linkages in |
| et al, 1998). Improved information | | | | Sub-Saharan Africa' IPFRI Research |
| systems allow dis-intermediation, where | | | | Report No 107, Washington, D.C. |
| producers link more directly to | | | | Grace, D. & Muraguri, P. (2001) |
| consumers, and by decreasing the number | | | | 'Privatised Animal Health Services in |
| of middlemen, increase their share of | | | | ASAL Areas: Feasibility and Business |
| the final product value. For example a | | | | Planning', CAPE-OAU-IBAR, Nairobi. |
| West African women's fishing cooperative | | | | King, A. & Mugerwa, E. (2002) 'Livestock |
| has set up a website to enable its 7,000 | | | | Marketing in Southern Sudan: With |
| members to monitor export markets and | | | | Particular Reference to Cattle Trade |
| negotiate prices with overseas buyers. | | | | between Southern Sudan and Uganda' |
| Is this the future for the livestock | | | | CAPE-OAU-IBAR, Nairobi. |