Sowing Social Seeds: Voice Technology Connects India’s Farmers Neil Patel, Scott Klemmer, and Tapan Parikh Stanford eDay, July 2011
Dec 04, 2014
Sowing Social Seeds: Voice Technology
Connects India’s FarmersNeil Patel, Scott Klemmer, and Tapan Parikh
Stanford eDay, July 2011
19901992
19941996
19982000
20022004
20062008
2010
Internet Users
1B
2B
World
United States
Source: World Bank Development Indicators
3B
...
3by incomedream@Flickr
Most of the world’s poor depend on agriculture
In India, 600 millionMajority smallholders (< 3 acres)
Earning < $750/yr; Debts > $300/yr
Over 2 billion agriculture-dependent lives worldwide
Agricultural Extension
Dissemination of expert advice and technologies to rural communities
100,000 extension o!cers in India
Not on-demandNot comprehensive
Development Support CentreRural development organization for natural resource management and
agricultural productivity enhancement
Radio
4
Give people a voice
A case for voice interaction
Why voice?
Works with all phones
Overcomes illiteracy
Voice preferred to text[Sherwani, PhD thesis 09][Medhi, et al., CHI 09]
0
10
20
30
40
50
1999 2001 2003 2005 2007
Developing Regions
% in
habi
tant
sSource: International Telecommunications Union, www.itu.int
Mobiles
Broadband
Low barrier to content creation
Avaaj Otalo (“voice stoop”)
For information access and sharingUsers: low/no education, low literacy, computer novices
Interactive voice response (IVR) in GujaratiDial a number, navigate automated prompts
Record question; listen to posted questions; answer a question
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 09]
Listening to questions on AO
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 09]
AO: <tune> Welcome to Avaaj Otalo!
You can get to the information by saying a single word.
To ask a question, say ‘question’.
To listen to announcements, say ‘announcements’.
To listen to the radio program, say ‘radio’.
User: Question.
AO: Okay, you want to ask a question.
To record a question, say ‘record’.
To listen to other farmers’ questions and answers, say ‘questions’.User: Questions.
AO: Okay, you’ll now hear the most recently posted questions & answers. Here is the first question...
Piloting Avaaj Otalo
Goals Observe real-world usageUncover design and researchExperience for DSC
Participants 63 males (all but 2 were farmers)Across 4 geographic regions of GujaratNative Gujarati speakersAge 18 - 60 (median: 29)80% no more than high school educationNo experience with computers or IVRs
Implementation Toll-freeIBM Voice Site [Kumar et al., NSDR 2007]
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Three features
announcements radio archive question and answer
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
0
163
325
488
650
Jan-15
Jan-29Feb-12
Feb-26
Mar-12
Mar-26Apr-9
Apr-23May-7
May-21Jun-4
Jun-18 Jul-2
Cal
ls
Novelty e"ect
New participants added
Calls over time
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Nearly 20% of callers made 80% of calls
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10
100
1000
10000
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41Caller
Cal
ls
Top ten: 80% of calls Top 3 callers10th grade education or lessGeographically remoteUnder age 30
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
<farmer’s name>, emidacloplete is for controlling large sucking pests, and will not be e!ective for [green and black] sucking pests. Instead of that you can use phosphamidon or metasystock. This would be more e!ective. DDVP that you sprayed will also do.
Salute to farmer friends, <name> from Kolava. For an earlier question about green and black sucking pests, which pesticide should be sprayed? We received answer from elsewhere that emidacloplete with carbon sulphide can kill green and black sucking pests. Also, when SAT with DDVP is applied the green and black sucking pests die.
Q&A
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Experience Sharing
Hello. <name> speaking from Beyok village, Vav taluka, Banaskantha district. Mobile number <number>. I want to inform all farmer friends that for summer vegetable crops, if you find insects, then you should create supports for birds to sit. They can control heliothis. If you use a light at night, then other insects can also be controlled. This can be done in lucerne fodder. We have done this experiment in winter mustard crop.
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Entertainment
Songs
Jokes
MP3 Player
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Social Dynamics
Introductions
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Introductions
Hello, I am <name> speaking from Rajkot district, taluka Jasdan, village Vangadhra. My mobile number is <number>...
65% of questions included at least name
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Social Dynamics
Introductions
Moderation
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Salute to farmers. I want to inform farmer friends that questions asked should be useful to all farmers. Film songs or jokes in between should not be posted. If the question asked is good, all farmer friends will also enjoy listening.
Moderation
Hello. Earlier, <farmer name> had [made recordings] like this. Are you making fun of DSC by asking such questions? Or are you asking for information useful to farming? You have not been given this number for such fun or for timepass...
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Social Dynamics
Introductions
Moderation
Intermediated access
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Intermediated Access
Hello. <name> speaking from Beyok village. Three farmer friends here have asked this question. They had [planted] psyllium. It was time of harvesting cumin. Due to unseasonal rains and cyclone, there is 60-80% loss in cumin. For this if it has to be presented to government, then on preliminary basis how can the presentation be done? Request to give answer.
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Social Dynamics
Introductions
Moderation
Intermediated access
Social status
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
I’m always the first one [in the village] to implement new methods and technology in agriculture. I have everything in terms of technology here. Everybody comes to see things at my place. Even Avaaj Otalo — I am the first one to get it in this place. So many experts and scientists are friends with me and I tell them about AO. When they are here they ask to see it and I show them how AO works. They are impressed by how much modern technology and knowledge I have. It is a matter of pride for my family.
Interviewee:
Gaining status
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Why would I use such a system [like AO]? Everybody’s answer has the same value no matter how correct or incorrect it is. I am already respected in my community as someone knowledgeable in agriculture and my answers on [AO] will be treated just like anyone else’s o! the street. How does AO benefit people like me? In fact it does not even recognize the knowledge and wisdom I have gathered over the years.
Challenging social status?
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
People preferred answers from authorities over peers
Who do you prefer receiving answers from?65% DSC only 35% DSC and farmers0% Farmers only(n = 36)
[Only] when these other farmer’s questions will be answered by an expert, then I will get to learn from [answers]. Farmers don’t know everything, right? What most of the farmers talk about is common knowledge to us. So I am interested in listening to what the experts say about the questions on AO.
w/ IBM IRL, DSC, UC Berkeley [CHI 10]
Experiment: E"ects of varying info source
Scientist Peer Farmer
Same tips recorded by scientists and farmers
Two farmers from di!erent districts
record
Two retired professors from local ag universities
record
Tip 1: Vaccinations
Tip 2: Mealybug
Tip 3: Pest eggs
Tip 4: Root rot
Tip 5: Orchards
Tip 6: Soil testing
Tip 7: Animal feed
w/ Savani, Klemmer, Parikh
More followups to peer tips
(z = 2.08, p < .05)
0%
3%
7%
10%
13%
Peer Scientist
Follow-up Rate
w/ Savani, Klemmer, Parikh
Changes after the pilot
Unrestricted access
Touchtone
Administration interface
The biggest change
Toll-free -> Local number60 paise ~= 1 cent/min
0
163
325
488
650
Jan-15
Jan-29Feb-12
Feb-26
Mar-12
Mar-26Apr-9
Apr-23May-7
May-21Jun-4
Jun-18 Jul-2
Cal
lsPilot (63 farmers) v. 2011 (488 farmers)
Toll-free: 240 calls/week
Metered: 94 calls/week
Lower call duration by 60%
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150
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600
Cal
l Dur
atio
n (s
)
Time
Toll-free
Metered
Subsidize public goods through “freebies”
Greetings! Here’s today’s information of the day
<Spotlighted info>
Your feedback is very important to us...
Please hold to be connected to AO...
Please record a question, comment, or feedback...
Please rate this message according to this scale...
w/ Klemmer and Parikh
More social interaction with free calls and free recording
0
0.2
0.3
0.5
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free call free rec
Msg
s/Pa
rtic
ipan
t
no sig. di!erence
Looking ahead...
Awaaz De (“Give your voice”)
Agriculture
A Mission For Organic Farming
Q&A, experience sharing, market and weather, buying and selling, ...
Education
Reaching village school teachers and parents
Women’s and Youth Empowerment
Awareness campaigns for human rights
A Farmer Responds
So much gratitude to you, and also if I want to sow something now, I’ve got a little extra water, so what should I sow that would be best suited for me?
In the seven years I have been farming this is the first and only time that I have received satisfactory information.
I give praise to Avaaj Otalo. I will be forever in your debt for the knowledgeable response you gave to my question ... Farmers will learn so much if an ordinary person is able to ask a question and you send me a message while I am sitting in my house.
Thanks!
For more info, visit http://awaaz.de