[UgaBYTES] Pilot Field Weighing System Completed in Igara, South West Uganda

Wed Aug 1 04:40:16 GMT 2007

Dear All,

I would like to advice that our technology company Octagon Data Systems
Limited www.octagon.co.ke <http://www.octagon.co.ke/>  has completed a pilot
in automating smallholder tea field-weighing system using the EasyWeigh
solution at Igara Tea Company in South Western Uganda. The software and the
innovative electronic scale is the work of our company and a manufacturing
company in India.

The solution uses rechargeable batteries for a whole day's work. The data is
downloaded from the scale to a computerized software solution, again
developed by our company to enable payment of smallholder farmers.

This solution can be used to empower the services of telecentres and ensure
that farmers get paid for what they deliver to a central bulking
organization for their agricultural produce. 

This is the first time that Uganda is using this technology which we have
used in Kenya in most of the quoted tea companies. It has also successfully
been implemented in Southern Tanzania at Wakulima Tea to provide governance
and Fair Trade perspectives of the Rungwe Smallholder Farmers and Wakulima
Tea Company.

We are willing to partner with your telecentre to explore how it can help
create real wealth for the communities who must use the telecentre not just
for trading but also for wealth creation.

Visit our related websites at www.willpower.co.ke
<http://www.willpower.co.ke/>  and www.vacidafrica.or.ke
<http://www.vacidafrica.or.ke/> 

Let Africa not just embrace technology, let it process its harvests, let it
process and let it e-trade. Your telecentre provides the last link in the
chain. You will need to address the production, processing (value addition
and manage the chain. VACID Africa can help. Be a partner in our website
www.vacidafrica.or.ke <http://www.vacidafrica.or.ke/> 

What you need to do:

1.    Send me content for your site together with any photographs that you
may want included on the site

2.    Give us details of your farmers and what they do in agricultural
production

3.    Since the farmers would like payment for their produce, it would be
good to ensure that the payments are done to the farmers with little
deductions, so let us discuss the best model for your farmers

4.    Let us see how the telecentre can be made to run like our model
telecentre on the vACID Africa website

We are ready for you and your community. 

Kiringai Kamau

-----Original Message-----
From: ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org
[mailto:ugabytes-bounces at lists.ugabytes.org] On Behalf Of fadeco
Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 12:11 AM
To: ugabytes at lists.ugabytes.org
Subject: [UgaBYTES] Low power PC launched in Uganda by INVENEO

Dear Colleagues,

Bridging the digital divide is the ever aching dilemma for us in the 

developing countries. In the Telecentre movement, we have tried to discuss 

possible solutions to overcomes exsiting constraints.Over the past months we

have discussed issues related to high cost of bandwidth and equipment, 

sustainability, affordability, cost sharing, etc. These discussions have 

been carried out online via moderated online discussions and during F2F 

interactions. Every time we have brought to open discussions, alternatives 

and options that have been tried and proved to be viable ways of addresing 

the problems identified. Power running them off-grid or on fossil fuel would

be too expensive.challenges have been another cause of dilemma. The current 

CRT monitors consumer such a huge amount of power that

100 USD Computers:

The above technology looks a convincing solution to remote and low income 

telecentres and users. However from my understanding, the inventor of this 

computer needs to invest in making/ selling millions of these to break even.

The actial investment put into the development of this type of laptop 

computer has been so high that,in order for the final computer to go out, 

there should be a production of worth millions of pieces. This would lower 

the eventual cost of production and offset the cost of production etc 

leaving a not-for-profit margin to the technology developers. Upto now, none

has come out to fund a massive production of these.

INVENEO LOW POWER COMPUTERS:

>From my understanding, these are another alternative. These use open source

in addition and work best on a network. The actual prices that I have are as

follows:

a) The hub station would cost USD 859

b) Single computer would cost USD 469

These prices might be controversial but these are realistic costs. I would 

like to go in for these as a trial. What is interesting to me is that Open 

source is brought into play. But you can also use office.

It has been the interest of Ugabytes to bring to the attention of the 

network members emerging technologies- in as much as they address one of the

key constraints being faced by the members: power, soundness/ robustness, 

user friendliness,etc. Esther is perfect to propose the technology although 

it remains at the individual telecentre to decide.

Regards,

Joseph sekiku 

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