aAQUA India

Article

aAQUA (‘almost all questions answered’) is an SMS advisory service developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay that lets Indian farmers text in questions on subjects ranging from rainfall forecasts and crop and animal disease to practical queries like the best milking machine for a herd of buffaloes, and receive expert answers by return message. With mobile ownership spreading far faster than internet access in rural India, where around 65% of the population lives, the scheme aims to ease the pressures facing struggling farmers, and its creators were in talks with an Indian handset maker to build a phone with features designed specifically for farmers.