An Indian company, eChoupal, has been selected to receive this year's Development Gateway Award for its use of technology to make agricultural information available to farmers in rural India.
eChoupal received the 100-thousand-dollar award Friday at a forum in Beijing co-hosted by the Chinese government and the World Bank. eChoupal installed more than five thousand computer kiosks in villages around India where farmers could use them to learn management techniques, order fertilizer less expensively, and monitor market prices.
The Development Gateway Award recognizes efforts to use information technology to enhance the quality of life in communities around the world. eChoupal was selected from among 135 nominees for the award.