Ideas worth spreading

TED@BCG Berlin

October 2014

|8K views

Finally, tech solutions to economic development

In Kenya, a smartphone app called iCow tracks the health of cattle for thousands of farmers, at times doubling productivity. In this talk, Sarah Cairns-Smith discusses how a range of mobile apps are transforming local economies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Become a TED Member

Want to hear more great ideas like this one? Sign up for TED Membership to get exclusive access to captivating conversations, engaging events, and more!

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG.

Read more about the TED Institute.

In Kenya, a smartphone app called iCow tracks the health of cattle for thousands of farmers, at times doubling productivity. In this talk, Sarah Cairns-Smith discusses how a range of mobile apps are transforming local economies in Sub-Saharan Africa.

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with BCG.

Read more about the TED Institute.

About the speaker

Sarah Cairns-Smith

Economic development leader

Sarah Cairns-Smith is a Senior Advisor at BCG, based in Boston. She has worked across a broad variety of sectors in global development and health including water, sanitation and hygiene; financial services and education; mobile and big data; agriculture; and health product research, development and delivery. She received her PhD in Biochemistry from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, London and MBA (Distinction) from Columbia Business School.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute