e-Agriculture Webinar on Audio-Based Agriculture Extension

5 June 2018. The e-Agriculture Team in conjuction with AMPLIO organised webinar on Talking Books for Audio-Based Agriculture Extension.  (video recording forthcoming)

Knowledge empowers farmers to grow enough food to feed and provide for their families, but millions who live in remote areas and lack literacy do not have access to this knowledge. The Talking Book is an audio device designed to share knowledge on-demand with people who are cut off from traditional sources of information. It is customizable and interactive; it receives feedback and questions from users, and records usage statistics so that organizations can improve their messages, reach more people, and have greater impact. Amplio (formerly Literacy Bridge) designed the Talking Book and has collaborated with dozens of partners to develop and deliver engaging audio lessons and to evaluate their impact.

Cliff Schmidt founded Amplio in 2007 and led the development of the Talking Book. He received the Microsoft Alumni Foundation Integral Fellow Award by Bill and Melinda Gates and was awarded a Clinton Global Initiative membership by President Bill Clinton. Prior to starting Amplio, Cliff was a software developer for Microsoft and a nuclear engineering officer for the U.S. Navy Submarine Force. He received his B.S. in cognitive science from MIT and his M.S. in computer science and engineering from the University of Washington.