Mobile phones play an important role in reducing poverty in developing nations, said an Iowa State professor who has done extensive research on the subject in Morocco.

Hsain Ilahiane, associate professor of anthropology, has been doing research on the impact of cellular phones on small- and medium-sized businesses in Morocco since 2001, and recently completed his study.

He estimated in 2001, there were approximately three million cell phones in use in Morocco – as of 2005, the number more than tripled to 10 million.

Ilahiane said he hopes to use the research to write a book about information and communication technology in the developing world. Interviewing blue-collar workers – construction workers, maids and farmers – Ilahiane found mobile phones increase production efficiency, and said cell phones increased income by an average of 105 percent.

“Phones allow for more access to workers, more work generated and more jobs. Empirical evidence shows mobile users’ income increases and expands their circle of opportunity,” he said.

One construction worker said his mobile phone was a “miracle worker” and the “sixth pillar of Islam,” Ilahiane said.

Farmers are able to access markets and buyers easier than they otherwise would have with cell phones, Ilahiane said. They are able to communicate better and determine which crops are the most economically viable to grow.

There was a significant increase in cash crops planted last summer than the traditional Moroccan crops, Ilahiane said.

“The mobile is the negotiating catalyst between the market and how the land is used,” he said.

Ilahiane’s research has several implications, said Lorna Butler, professor at the agricultural experiment station, who worked with Ilahiane. She said his research is helpful in understanding how technology impacts rural communities that have limited incomes, resources and knowledge.

Ilahiane’s research is funded by Intel Corporation, which gave him approximately $160,000. Intel is trying to better understand emerging markets, he said. Corporations are discovering fields, such as anthropology, can play an important role.

“Cultures perceive technology different,” Ilahiane said. “Anthropology can identify new meanings and uses of technology, which we can inform corporations to design better products for the market.”