External evaluation of mobile phone technology-based nutrition and agriculture advisory services in Africa and South Asia

Abstract

The GSM Association (GSMA), working with a wide range of mobile network operators and civil society organisations, is launching a series of nutrition-focused m-health and m-agriculture initiatives in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. GSMA refers to nutrition-enhanced initiatives collectively as ‘m-nutrition’. This report summarises the plans for an impact evaluation of two of these nutrition-enhanced initiatives: mHealth in Tanzania and mAgri in Ghana. The evaluation consists of three integrated components: a quantitative impact evaluation, a qualitative evaluation focusing on implementation fidelity, pathways of impact and external validity, and an evaluation of the sustainability of the business model behind the mNutrition initiative. The business model evaluation compares the two initiatives described above with a third, mHealth in Ghana, which is closer to the GSMA core commercial model, and additionally, possibly to retain a view on Bangladesh, mAgri to generate more heterogeneity in conclusions.