Community circulation of information

Despite reaching over 1.1 million people, usage data for GARBAL, a telephone service providing geosatellite data to pastoralists and farmers in Burkina Faso, tells only part of the story. Registered callers are predominantly middle-aged male farmers, while pastoralists, women, and youth remain underrepresented. Yet these groups are among those who benefit most from the service.

This case study explores the phenomenon of community circulation of information: the informal networks through which GARBAL data travels beyond its registered users. Within households, through social connections, and along transhumance routes, information is shared, costs are pooled, and access is widened. These invisible uses are widespread but largely unmeasured.

The study argues that designing digital services around these informal dynamics is key to developing solutions that are more inclusive, more effective, and better aligned with the real needs of rural communities.

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