Using CAMequipped Mobile Phones for Procurement and Quality Control at a Rural Coffee Cooperative

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Using CAM-equipped Mobile Phones for Procurement
and Quality Control at a Rural Coffee Cooperative

• Yael Schwartzman
• Tapan S. Parikh
• MobEA V
• May 8th, 2007
• Banff, Canada

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Coffee is the second most traded commodity in the
world
However, small rural producers have not seen the
benefits - Market is flooded - Vietnam
Brazil - Small lands - Limited financial
capacities - Infrastructural limitations -
Lack of enforceable production standards -
Lack of efficient marketing channels
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To counteract producers can avail a quality or
brand advantage
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To counteract producers can avail a quality or
brand advantage
Organic Agriculture

• attempt to sustain and enhance the health of
  ecosystems
• and organisms from the smallest in the soil to
• human beingsIFOAM

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To counteract producers can avail a quality or
brand advantage

• Bird Friendly
• Ensures that native shade trees are retained on
  coffee parcels, preventing sun damage and soil
  erosion and providing shelter to migratory birds
  that in turn act as natural insecticide

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To counteract producers can avail a quality or
brand advantage

• Fair Trade
• Improve the living condition of marginalized
  producers by creating consumer awareness,
  promoting change in trading practices and
  empowering producers to play a larger role in the
  marketing and sale of coffee

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The idea is that consumers will pay a premium for
certified products meeting ethical and
environmental standards.
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The idea is that consumers will pay a premium for
certified products meeting ethical and
environmental standards.

• But
• monitoring - ensuring proper practices
• marketing - conveying the story
• remain significant challenges.

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Overview

• Coffee and small rural producers
• Certification efforts
• Background
• Mobile phones and CAM
• Asobagri The coffee cooperative
• RANDI - Representation AND Inspection
• DPS - Delivery Processing System
• Discussion and conclusions

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What is CAM?

• CAM is a mobile application framework for the
  rural developing world.
• Uses CAMera mobile phones to capture data from
  augmented paper forms

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Asobagri

• Founded in 1989
• Producer/exporter
• Values
• Unity, Solidarity, Responsibility, Quality,
  Equality, Continuous Betterment, Sustainability,
  Respect.
• Mission
• Provide market access
• Promote education
• Fair Trade
• Maintain respect environment

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Most of Asobagris staff is educated but

• Producers are often illiterate
• Improper transportation roads
• No electricity phone coverage
• Migration to provide additional income

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Internal Inspection TODAY
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Cooperatives have internal inspections to control
and maintain external certifications (FairTrade,
organic, etc.)
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They inspect the producers parcels
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They certify the products quality
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And they inspect the producers equipment
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They carry hundreds of paper inspection forms
over long distances
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And it is difficult for them to provide evidence
of inspection
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CAM-RANDIRepresentation and Inspection tool
Blog

• Multiple choice questions
• Audio
• Pictures

CAMBooklet
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CAM-RANDIRepresentation and Inspection tool
Use audio and pictures to document breaches,
recommendations and physical presence
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CAM-RANDIRepresentation and Inspection tool
Use captured data to create parcels visual
history, and market Asobagris products
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Use captured data to

• Evidence inspection breaches of contract
• Document best/worst practices
• Create visual history of parcel
• Provide cooperative with marketing channels and
  Internet presence

CAM-RANDIRepresentation and Inspection tool
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CAM-RANDIRepresentation and Inspection tool
Preliminary Evaluation

• Participants
• 4 Male
• Experienced internal inspectors.
• Experience w/phones.
• No experience with CAM
• Experiment design
• Between-subjects
• 2 paper internal inspections vs. 2 RANDI internal
  inspections
• Completion time
• Amount of media recorded
• Subjective questionnaire

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CAM-RANDIRepresentation and Inspection tool
Results

• QUANTITATIVE
• About the same amount of time
• QUALITATIVE
• 3 out of 4 inspectors found CAM as easy or easier
  to use than paper forms
• According to users, the main advantages of CAM
  are
• Ability to provide audio and image evidence
• Lighter carrying load
• Rugged nature of CAMBooklet
• Easier to talk to producers

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Delivery Processing TODAY
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There is not enough storage space and the
delivery system is not mobile that limits coffee
differentiation
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CAM - DPSDelivery Processing System
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CAM - DPSDelivery Processing System

• Consolidates data entry
• Allows for mobile/remote delivery points

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Preliminary Evaluation

• 5 Participants
• 4M / 1F. Mean age of 29.
• All at least highschool educated
• Some experience with PCs, Excel.
• None had used CAM before
• Experimental Design
• Measure execution time error rate
• CAM vs. Microsoft Excel
• Subjective questionnaire

CAM - DPSDelivery Processing System
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Results

• QUANTITATIVE
• 15 sec. faster using Excel
• QUALITATIVE
• 4 out of 5 participants found CAM as easy or
  easier to use than Excel
• Advantages of CAM
• Can be used without consistent power
• Can be used in mobile settings
• Audio prompts reduce errors

CAM - DPSDelivery Processing System
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Related work
Inspection, certification and marketing
Extension
e-cert
Sedex
Anacafe GT
Fintrac mobile office
AGIS
QualCheck
Utz-Kapeh
eSagu
Procurement
Akashganga
Warana Wired Village
eChoupal
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Conclusions

• Small rural producers face significant challenges
• Using CAM, we can provide mobile phone tools to
  improve small farmers efficiency and quality
  premiums
• First usability evaluation suggests this system
  is accessible, appropriate and serves a real need

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Future Work

• Full implementation evaluation of RANDI for
  coffee producers (in Guatemala and Mexico)
• Test applicability of RANDI in other producer
  cooperatives (e.g. medicinal plants in India)
• Design and evaluate RANDIs front end as a
  marketing and information tool for cooperatives
• Bridging the gap between producers and consumers
• Provide evidence of inspection to internal
  control certification agencies