For Elizabeth Vondolia, a 28-year-old rice farmer and mother of six in Ghana's Volta Region, farming was once guided by guesswork. With no formal training, she relied on the movement of clouds to decide when to plant. Sometimes it worked. Often, it didn't.

That changed when Elizabeth began receiving voice messages through Farmerline, one of the FIRST+II program's Business Development Service partners. The short, locally tailored messages provided timely advice on when and how to plant. One message, titled "Now is the right time to begin your rice nursery," arrived just as she was preparing her seeds, saving her from planting too early and risking crop failure.

"Before this, I just planted when the clouds looked right," Elizabeth laughed. "But now I know why timing matters. These trainings and voice messages are giving me real confidence. It may sound funny, but I look forward to my next message. My phone has become my companion on the farm."

Elizabeth's story illustrates how a simple phone message can bridge knowledge gaps, mitigate risks, and empower smallholder farmers, particularly women, to view agriculture as a dignified and sustainable livelihood.