The session explored how the simplest digital solutions are often the best, and how we can integrate low-tech and high-tech solutions to ensure the effective delivery of services.

In this session, the panelists discussed the solutions developed by them and how there was an integration of low tech and high-tech solutions to ensure effective delivery of services. It was discussed how some of the best digital solutions are the simplest digital solutions to empower farmers around the world to realize their full potential. Based on the different mediums that the panelists work on, the discussion focused on the need to adapt constantly to the evolution of technology and according to the demands of the customers and ecosystem needs.

Panelists:

• Shreya Agrawal, Director of Strategy at Digital Green 

• Rex Chapota, Regional Program Manager East and Southern Africa and Strategic Opportunities Advisor at Farm Radio International

• Alisa Dykstra, Nepal Country Manager at Viamo

• Komil Yakubov, PR Manager at DAI Uzbekistan

Challenges faced by organizations in providing digital solutions at the last mile:

• Limited literacy level of the farmers: A smallholder farmer typically has less than two hectares of land and is constrained by limited literacy. In this context, it is difficult to know who to trust for quality information and services, as there are many services provided digitally around the world.

• Poor market linkages: Farmers are able to translate available information and services into increased yields, but struggle to find markets to translate the increased yields into actual increased livelihoods or income. This is a common challenge that smallholder farmers face globally.

• Weak extension network: The last mile extension agents mandated to support such farmers face challenges such as inadequate training and are often unable to reach the sheer magnitude of farmers that they're tasked to reach.

• Covid-19 related challenges: With COVID-19, in-person screenings are often not possible, and therefore, remote learning opportunities such as radio, IVR, SMS, and WhatsApp are extremely important.

Solutions provided by Digital Green

Digital Green has been working on scaling and upgrading an approach called "community video" Through community video, relevant agronomic and livestock-related content is shared via short, locally produced videos. These videos are prepared by farmers for farmers, feature farmers themselves, and are screened in-person group settings. Through this solution, Digital Green has reached around 2 million farmers across India and Ethiopia. A couple of RCTs conducted in controlled environments show that digital training leads to around 45% increase in uptake of practices compared to more traditional in-person, non-digital systems. This has significant implications on improving yield and income of target beneficiaries. 

Key insights:

• Along with technology, it is important to focus on the human element and partnerships to be enabled. There is a need to understand the motivation factors for community workers and farmers and the incentive structures that would work prior to developing delivery channels. In order to drive adoption, capacity building of partners and cost effectiveness are some of the system-level important metrics to focus on.

• Projects will be developed by leveraging pre-existing social networks such as self-help and development groups. For any approach to be successful; it has to reach the most marginalized. Therefore, digital green mainly targets women farmers.

• Featuring farmers in the videos helps increase adoption as the target segment is able to relate themselves and their needs more to the content.

• Data collection and management are quintessential. Digital Green collects data for farmers and ensures that it is used to iterate the next generation of videos and can power some of the more high-tech solutions. Along with ensuring data collection quality, there needs to be infrastructure for data management and ways in which it can be shared with partner organizations or any platform.

• ICT-based interventions require significant time to show results. In order to make an impact and to highlight an impact in yield and income, a certain amount of time needs to be invested.

Solutions provided by Farm Radio International

Farm Radio International provides support, resources, and training to broadcasting stations to help them reach their audiences better. They came up with radio innovations, integrated with other mobile platforms, and run impact projects to get results at scale. Using the power of radio, programs can be provided to farmers at about 50 cents per program.

Key insights

• Radio as a medium is inexpensive, nimble, and delivers information in real time. When combined with other devices such as mobile phones, radio becomes interactive and a two-way communication channel with a good feedback loop.

• Partnerships are part of the package of radio programming. Researchers, farmers, and specialists need to work together to ensure the success of a radio programme. There is a need to empower broadcasters with skills and good content to deliver via radio.

• High-tech solutions don’t exist in most places, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over time, the penetration of high-tech solutions might increase, but they will not necessarily replace radio. High-tech solutions will instead integrate and make low-tech more powerful.

Solutions provided by Viamo

Viamo designed a platform that would help digitize agriculture value chains in ways that farmers could easily adopt. This platform is an IVR-based solution wherein farmers can hear pre-recorded voice messages in their local language and answer follow-up prompts. Using this information, farmers are able to register for the service on products being produced by them. Buyers can call in and follow the same process to answer. Viamo started their services in Nepal and was able to pilot them on their 3-2-1 service. The 3-2-1 service is an IVR-based toll-free hotline, partnered with mobile network operators in over 80 countries. The 3-2-1 service is accessible at scale and sustainable for the long term. People can call in and pull information when they want across a range of different development topics. In Nepal, they can also use the service to create market linkages.

Key insights

• There is a need to take a human centered design approach to understand the users and media they already use and are comfortable with, whether it’s radio or smartphones, or having access to data. It’s also important to understand whether access to mobile devices is at a household level or an individual member level to design a user-friendly platform.

• There has to be an understanding of the local context and ecosystem the farmers live in and the challenges they face. Viamo conducted design research in Madagascar to understand the main constraints faced by farmers. Logistics, i.e., transportation and storage of farm products, were found to be the main constraints. To address that, Viamo undertook remote training of cooperatives and empowered them to fill the identified gaps.

• There is a need to adopt a multi-channel approach such as IVR, radio, mobile apps or different platforms to reach more individuals at their comfort level. Viamo is now exploring higher technologies to make matches more effective, making them smarter and faster. They are building new algorithms and looking at using machine learning and artificial intelligence to make the service even better for smallholder farmers.

• There is a need to figure out how to measure knowledge, attitudes, and practices and see what changes the services are creating in the customer’s behaviour and knowledge. Viamo is trying to embed more surveys within their programming to be able to measure customer reactions over time.

Solutions provided by DAI

DAI is supporting USAID’s Agricultural Value Chains Activity (AVC) project aimed at promoting high-value commercial horticulture in Uzbekistan. The project has four components: production, post-harvest handling, marketing, and education. The right collaborations on social media have the potential to change customer behavior. Instead of recreating the social media platform, DAI partnered with an entity that already had a blog on agriculture as well as a Facebook group with about 3000 people. DAI supported this entity and also helped them open a YouTube channel for information dissemination. By 2020, the partners' Facebook group had over 64 thousand users, and the YouTube page had over 200 videos with over 4 million views. DAI has also introduced telegram to share content with the farmers and later on introduced zoom.

Key insights

• Radio as a medium is inexpensive, nimble, and delivers information in real time. When combined with other devices such as mobile phones, radio becomes interactive and a two-way communication channel with a good feedback loop.

• Partnerships are part of the package of radio programming. Researchers, farmers, and specialists need to work together to ensure the success of a radio programme. There is a need to empower broadcasters with skills and good content to deliver via radio.

• High-tech solutions don’t exist in most places, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over time, the penetration of high-tech solutions might increase, but they will not necessarily replace radio. High-tech solutions will instead integrate and make low-tech more powerful.