We’ve blogged a few times about how mobile phones bring farmers and fisherfolk closer to the market, and how this can work for agrobiodiversity. But of course agriculture is not the only field which can benefit; people all over the developing world have realized this, and manufacturers have in turn noticed that, and are trying to cash in. There’s an article in the NY Times Magazine about an anthropologist hired by Nokia to help them design the kind of phones that poor people need — and could help lift them out of poverty. Jan Chipchase is his name and if the article piques your interest you can see him give a TED talk. He also has a blog that’s great fun, and which occasionally even refers to food and agricultural biodiodiversity.