Author: Stephanie Marie Hermoso, MS IDEC’23
Supa! (hello! in Samburu)
My initial field research on climate and cooperation in Archers Post, Kenya, was delayed so Professor Andrew Hobbs suggested that I join him in Maralal to work on another project of his. Maralal is a small town in Kenya’s Samburu County where pastoralists depend on trading cows, sheep, and goats as their means of livelihood. These pastoralists travel miles (on foot) with their livestock to search for forage and markets where they can sell, which can sometimes take days. They go to market without having an assurance of how much their livestock will be sold. Moreover, traders also travel to markets and face certain risks like not knowing the availability and prices of livestock hence will be unable to make a profit. The uncertainty in the market is risky for both pastoralists and traders. On one hand, pastoralists are uncertain of the demand for their livestock and on the other hand, traders are uncertain about the livestock supply. This is where the Mirare Marketplace mobile application comes in. “Mirare” in Samburu means “selling.” Trade will flow freely if these two groups can easily coordinate with each other on a mobile platform. We are here to conduct app testing to see how well it is working and to collect data.
Prof. Hobbs and I, along with two of my IDEC classmates started our 5-hour drive to Maralal from Nairobi. On the way, we encountered a herd of elephants, some zebras, a few camels, and even giraffes! 
Picture 1: Free Safari!
On our first official day, after our morning briefing with Watson Lepariyo from the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), we walked to the “Maralal Livestock Saleyard” to see first-hand how the pastoralists and traders traded their livestock. There were many cows, sheep, and goats; and close by you can observe the pastoralists and traders negotiating their prices.
Picture 2: Maralai Livestock Saleyard
The remaining days were dedicated to app testing. We had 2 sessions per day, one in the morning and another in the afternoon with around 24-30 different participants per day. After the introductions, we asked our participants to download the Mirare App on the Google Play Store using a QR code flashed on the screen. They were then taught to put up an advertisement for their livestock which includes the seller’s name and contact details, type of animal, sale price, and a photo. Then they were to take down the advertisements once these were sold.
Picture 3: Set-up for the experiment
Shortly after, we went on the field. My market location was a 20-minute walk from headquarters. I had 4-8 pastoralists per session, and each had 1 cow and 1 sheep to sell. The first few sessions ran smoothly but when the pastoralists were aware of the price ranges for the livestock, they became more serious with their negotiations with the traders. One of the sessions took us almost 2 hours to finish and we even had some livestock left unsold. The pastoralists drove a hard bargain and would not sell their livestock at lower prices. I observed that some of the negotiations between pastoralists and traders took almost 10 minutes. To rectify this, we decided to brief the traders once the pastoralists had left the room and increase motivation by letting them know how much money they will be earning if they made the most profit.
Picture 4: Day to Day in the Field
The data we collected included the participants’ mobile numbers, gender, badge ID number, market location, seller, buyer, animal type, and sale price. Their sale price will be divided by a certain amount to compute the compensation they will be receiving. The price also determines the top pastoralists and traders who earned the most money per round.
We hit a few minor snags along the way. Some participants did not have enough charge on their smartphones which we later solved by reminding them the night before to charge their phones. Downloading the app also consumed quite a bit of time so we also asked them to download the app beforehand. We did not encounter any difficulties with the app itself as it was pretty straightforward and everyone knew how to use it.
Overall, our participants agree that this app will be helpful to both pastoralists and traders. Pastoralists will be assured that there’s demand for their livestock and they no longer have to travel to faraway places with no assurance that they will be able to sell. Traders will be assured that there’s enough supply in the market to meet their demands. They have given their feedback and recommendations to make the app better, which the team has taken into account. 
Picture 5: A Group photo with the participants
It has been such an amazing experience and I thank the USF Economics Department for giving me this opportunity. I believe it greatly helped me grow as an IDEC student and equipped me with first-hand field experience that cannot be taught within the four walls of the classroom. I highly recommend all IDEC students take advantage of this as it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
