Digital Insights for Growth in Technologically-Diverse Agricultural Landscapes

(DIG-it-AL)

A partnership between:

Table of Contents

Context

Project Background

Project Activities and Timeline

DIG-it-AL Team

Project Leadership

Appendix: Detail on Workstreams

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Reliable data on why and how farmers are using digital agriculture services is lacking in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC).

Evidence suggests that access to and usage of digital services may improve the well-being of small-scale producers (SSP).** As such, the number of digital services available to SSPs has greatly increased in the past few years, largely thanks to advances in mobile connectivity.

Data on how and why SSPs use digital services is lacking, which may inhibit providers from offering inclusive, user-centric, and wide-reaching solutions.

• We do not know who exactly these services are reaching.
• We lack insight into the value SSPs derive from digital services in regard to managing their farms, finances, and risks.
• There is no standard definition of “active use.” We are generally unable to determine how SSPs use digital services after they sign up, and we cannot compare active use across providers.

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distinct, active digital agriculture solutions in 2019*

390

farmers were registered for digital solutions in SSA in 2019*

26M

* CTA, Dalberg Advisors. (2019, June). The Digitization of African Agriculture Report: 2018-2019. https://www.cta.int/en/digitalisation-agriculture-africa.

** According to the CTA report, evidence of the impact of digital services on productivity and income is sparse, and impact estimates are either self-reported or based on small sample sizes.

DIG-it-AL aims to generate evidence and insights on why and how SSPs take up and use digital agriculture services in India and Nigeria.

Increase the understanding of SSPs’ access to and use of digital agriculture services and its impact

Generate advanced measurement and quality of data on the use and impact of digital services on SSPs

Improve funders’, investors’, and providers’ capacity to use evidence to promote uptake and active use of digital agriculture services

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DIG-it-AL will be working in partnership with the Digital Farmer Services (DFS) team at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The team’s theory of change is centered around the idea that digital agriculture services will be more widely-adopted and impactful if they are tailored to the wants and needs of SSPs. However, digital agriculture service providers largely lack the data they need to appropriately tailor their offerings.

The DIG-it-AL project will work in Nigeria, and Bihar and Odisha states in India to accomplish the following:

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There will be two broad types of research under this grant.

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1. Population Level Research - with farming households in Nigeria and the Indian states of Bihar and Orissa to assess coverage, access and usage of digital farmer services. The grant will cover execution of these surveys for two years and suggest paths to sustainability to continue this collection in the future.

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• DFS Organization Level Research - to delver deepers into adoption and impact of DFS with a select group of organizations (ideally grantees). In addition to providing these grantees with information of interest to them, these projects will serve as a test for leaner approaches to measurement and behaviour change support.

DIG-it-AL will be rolled-out in five workstreams over three years.

We will implement several workstreams concurrently.

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Jan 2022

Jan 2023

Jan 2024

June 2022

June 2023

June 2024

Workstream 1:

January to April 2022

We will assess the current DFS landscape.

Workstream 2:

March to May 2022

We will develop measurement strategies and tools to capture data on DFS usage.

Workstream 3:

June 2022 to June 2024

We will conduct large-scale surveys to gather data on DFS usage at the population level.

Workstream 4:

June 2022 to June 2024

We will analyze DFS usage for a select sample of DFS providers to glean in-depth insights that will complement the population-level data.

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Workstream 5:

January 2022 to October 2024

Throughout the duration of the project, we will widely disseminate evidence and insights, and develop targeted learning and capacity building materials.

The DIG-it-AL team is comprised of three partner organizations, each with unique yet complementary skills and expertise.

Description:

• LSMS is the World Bank's flagship household survey program focused on strengthening household survey systems in client countries and on improving the quality of microdata to better inform development policies.

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Responsibilities:

• Support with landscape assessment
• Support with measurement strategy and tools
• Support with population-level research

Description:

• 60 Decibels is an end-to-end impact measurement company. They make it easy to listen to the people who matter most.

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Responsibilities:

• Support with landscape assessment
• Lead on measurement strategy and tools
• Co-lead on population-level research
• Co-lead on DFS provider-level research
• Co-lead on learning, capacity and sustainability

Description:

• Busara is a research and advisory firm dedicated to advancing and applying Behavioral Science in the pursuit of poverty alleviation.

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Responsibilities:

• Lead on landscape assessment
• Support with measurement strategy and tools
• Co-lead on population-level research
• Co-lead on DFS provider-level research
• Co-lead on learning, capacity and sustainability

DIG-it-AL Leadership Team

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nathanial.peterson@busaracenter.org

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Nate serves as the Vice President of Partnerships at Busara. His primary interest is in how people perceive and manage risk and he is especially drawn to projects involving insurance uptake and credit for farm and business investment. He received a PhD and MS in Behavioral Decision Research from Carnegie Mellon University.

wairimu.muthike@busaracenter.org

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Wairimu is an Engagement Director at Busara. With 10+ years’ experience working in the social enterprise and innovation space, she is passionate about bridging the gap between technological innovation and solution application. Her role involves working with interdisciplinary professional teams for successful and result driven program execution.

morgan.kabeer@busaracenter.org

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Morgan is a Senior Associate at Busara. The majority of her projects to date have been in public health and agriculture, specifically agriculture technology and finance. Prior to Busara, Morgan worked in both the public and private sectors across the US, UK, and West Africa. She holds a Master of Public Administration from London School of Economics.

venu@60decibels.com

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Venu is a Director at 60 Decibels and is based in Washington, D.C. She leads their work in Agriculture. Prior to 60 Decibels, she worked at Acumen for six years. Venu started her career as management consultant at McKinsey & Company and PRADAN. Venu holds a Masters in Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Appendix:

Detail on Workstreams

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Workstream 1 | Landscape Assessment

Dates:

Objectives:

Target

Audiences:

January to April 2022

• Develop a baseline understanding of the entire DFS ecosystem and the key actors within by mapping the primary and secondary stakeholders in Nigeria, and Odisha and Bihar states in India
• Develop a baseline understanding of the current data landscape by reviewing past studies and conducting key informant interviews with researchers
• Glean initial insights on (1) farmer decision making pathways and DFS use cases (2) research and measurement approaches by analyzing results from stakeholder mapping, reviewing past studies, and conducting stakeholder interviews, which will inform subsequent workstreams

Development funders and investors, DFS providers

Workstream 2 | Measurement Strategy and Tools

March to May 2022

• Develop measurement approaches and tools (e.g., surveys) to capture data on the share of individuals involved in agriculture that are actively using digital agriculture solutions, in alignment with the goals of the DFS team at Gates
• Develop sampling frames that are appropriate for each of the geographies where we will be collecting data, with the aim of identifying a sustainable and representative way of conducting population-level research on DFS
• Test the prototype surveys with DFS users and non-users using qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure they are adequately capturing the data we need
• Create a comprehensive guide to implementing the population-level survey

Actors implementing population-level data collection

Dates:

Objectives:

Target

Audiences:

Workstream 3 | Population-Level Research

June 2022 to June 2024

• Draw population-level insights on DFS usage in Nigeria, and Bihar and Odisha states in India through pre and post harvest surveys in 2022 and 2023
• Develop data collection methodology, tools and implementation guides
• Share anonymized datasets and survey reports with the Gates’ Digital Agri Hub team, so that the data can be widely shared for others to benefit

Dates:

Objectives:

Target

Audiences:

Workstream 4 | DFS Provider-Level Research

June 2022 to June 2024

• Contribute to the evidence base on DFS adoption and impact on SSPs and their pathways to resilience by selecting a sample of DFS projects, and conducting in-depth research with their users and potential users
• Provide insights that can further refine the population-level tools
• Generate insights and evidence that can will enable DFS providers and other stakeholders to contextualise the data and findings that emerge from the population-level survey, helping them benchmark themselves, their users, and their potential users against the population-level data
• Identify behaviors that are associated with DFS uptake and active use

Dates:

Objectives:

Target

Audiences:

Workstream 5 | Learning, Capacity Building, and Sustainability

January 2022 to October 2024

• Develop and publish a public dashboard with population-level data and insights, enabling the widespread dissemination of our findings
• Organize and facilitate learning events: hosting webinars; presenting at agriculture forums; and producing public outputs, such as blogs and thought pieces
• Organize and facilitate workshops on lean measurement and behavior change approaches, leveraging 60 Decibels’ and Busara’s expertise in these areas
• Identify and promote pathways and partnerships for sustainability so that data collection can continue when the DIG-it-AL project ends, and the insights generated can be periodically updated to remain relevant and useful

Dates:

Objectives:

Target

Audiences:

In partnership with