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How does it work?

The farmer dials a designated number using a land line/mobile telephone. The call first reaches the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) System where the farmer registers the query with the help of the voice menu. The query from the farmer is stored as a voice clip in the database server. The Knowledge Worker (KW) logs in to the application through the web interface, and views all the calls that are waiting for attention. The KW searches the FAQ database for an answer. If the answer is in the database, a KW worker stores the answer for the query in the IVR. If the answer is not in the FAQ database, the KW sends the query to subject matter experts. When the answer is received from the expert, the application alerts the Knowledge Worker. The Knowledge Worker then retrieves the text answer, and stores it in the audio database. Finally the answer in voice mode is played when the farmer calls for answer to his query.

The farmer can also retrieve the answer in text format from the Information Centre near to his village. The farmers can send pictures related to his query for expert opinion.

Soochna Se Samadhan is a versatile, dynamic application that can be customized and adopted for information sharing in other crucial sectors of education, health, registration and employment.

Heart of the service – The phone line

The phone line (02239116000) and the server to run the service have been presently hosted at Reliance Infocom, Mumbai.

Key Features of the Service

• Expert advice helps farmers to improve input efficiency by encouraging integrated pest management (IPM) methods • Provides solutions to farmers within 24 hours. • Provide solution to more than 50 different fields of agriculture and allied activities. • Providing multiple services under one roof. The services include complete chain of information from production to consumption related to :

a. Input (seed, fertilizer and pesticide) b. Funding schemes c. Agri Government schemes on loans and subsidies d. Banking, Insurance e. Market prices f. Region specific market information g. Updated news on agriculture

Present Status:

• The Lifelines India service has been in full operation from 16th October, 2006 • The service has been successfully implemented in 600 villages of India across 3 states, viz. Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. • The districts covered are Tikamgarh, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Kanpur rural, Kanpur urban, Shimla, Solan, Raisen & Vidisha. • The service today is being accessed to around 40,000 farmers. The actual population covered stands at around 2,255,000. • On an average 175 calls are being received and answered in a day. • As on date, the Lifelines database has over 25,000 live FAQs. • This is a paid service. The farmers are charged a sum of Rs. 5/- for putting up a query and getting the answer. • The revenue from the call charges are being used for sustaining the running cost of the service.

The service has been very successful in delivering desired benefits for the farmers as originally envisaged in the project objectives. Farmers have initially accepted it as a valuable tool for information exchange and there is increasing demand and also acceptance from partners as a value to their overall mission of work.

Lifelines India would now like to reach 1000 villages in current year with similar increase till 2010 to reach 3000 villages.