In Ethiopia, where agriculture is a key economic driver, a significant change is underway. With the global population rising and the demand for food increasing, Ethiopian agriculture is turning to technology and data-driven methods. This shift is crucial as agriculture represents 40% of Ethiopia’s GDP and employs about 75% of its workforce. The country is focused on transforming its agricultural sector from traditional methods to more productive and industrialized processes. Emphasizing a comprehensive farming approach, Ethiopia is working towards sustainable agriculture by integrating social, economic, and environmental factors.

For over two decades, Ethiopia has championed a holistic farming approach, weaving together the social, economic, and environmental threads into a tapestry of sustainable agriculture. The fields of Ethiopia are more than just plots of land; they are the foundations of entrepreneurial ventures and the pillars of agripreneurship. This new wave of agribusiness is fueling local economies, bolstering food security, and seeding jobs across communities.

Yet, in this fertile land, agripreneurs face daunting challenges. The foremost among these is the barrier to critical information. This gap in knowledge affects their ability to navigate market trends, understand climatic changes, and adopt best agricultural practices.

Our Game-Changing Partnership with FAO

Digital Green joins forces with the FAO to bridge this information divide in a groundbreaking partnership. Together, we’re crafting a digital haven – a data-sharing platform that promises to be the compass for agripreneurs navigating the complex agricultural ecosystem.

This platform is more than just a repository of information; it’s a gateway to empowerment. It equips agripreneurs with the tools and insights needed to enhance digital advisory services and bring innovative solutions to the fore. Imagine a world where an AI-powered Telegram bot serves as your personal agricultural advisor, offering customized access to a treasure trove of data – from market insights to soil health, from financing options to cutting-edge research, and even images to identify crop diseases.

Revolutionizing Agribusiness with Technology and Data

Ethiopia’s combination of technology and agriculture is a significant shift, marking a new chapter in agricultural practices. Facing challenges like a growing global population and environmental concerns, adopting innovative technology is essential. This approach aims to create sustainable and efficient farming practices, making them a practical reality rather than just an aspiration.

With the introduction of digital tools in agriculture, Ethiopia is poised to experience substantial improvements in farming. We are at a point where these changes can lead to notable advancements in agricultural productivity. We invite you to be part of this journey as we move towards an era where modern technology and traditional farming methods work together to transform Ethiopian agriculture.

In the rolling wheat fields of Ethiopia, a digital revolution is taking root. In a country where traditional blanket fertilizer recommendations have long governed farming practices, a pioneering initiative is breaking new ground, promising not just higher yields, but a brighter future for farmers. Digital Green, in partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, is blending technology with traditional farming practices to revolutionize how farmers nourish their crops by tailoring fertilizer recommendations to the unique needs of each location. 

A Tailored Approach to Farming

Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all fertilizer recommendations. Imagine a world where farmers receive personalized advice as unique as the soil they till. That’s the vision brought to life through the Decision Support Tool (DST) developed by CIAT. This innovative tool generates site-specific fertilizer recommendations, ensuring every grain of wheat reaches its fullest potential. The results? A remarkable 24% increase in yield per hectare per season compared to local recommendations and a 16% rise over national blanket recommendations.

The journey from data to field is facilitated by Digital Green’s cutting-edge digital technologies. Our video-based extension and a pioneering Telegram Bot serve as conduits, delivering these golden nuggets of advice directly into the hands of Development Agents and, ultimately, the farmers. Initially, farmers received advice through printed maps and videos. However, as the number of participating farmers grew, the need for a more scalable and sustainable solution became evident. Enter the Telegram bot, a game-changer in agricultural advisories, enabling frontline workers to effectively share vital information with farmers.

Reception and Adaptation

Frontline workers have embraced the Telegram bot, praising its user-friendliness and the ease it brings in dispensing advice at both village and individual levels. Their feedback is a testament to the tool’s effectiveness in making a real difference on the ground. This digital transformation has not just boosted crop yields; it’s changing lives. Over 50,200 farmers, including a significant 25% female representation, from 16 woredas have been reached through these advisories. What’s more, 38,810 farmers have accessed information directly from the Telegram bot, embodying the success of this digital leap. 

Initially skeptical, farmers have also gradually recognized the benefits of site-specific recommendations. Despite challenges like fertilizer shortages and high prices, many are eager to adopt these new practices, drawn by the promise of higher yields and better livestock feed.

Looking Ahead

Frontline workers are not just users but innovators, suggesting integrations for comprehensive advisories covering diverse crops and farming practices. The vision is to create a digital ecosystem that supports every aspect of farming, from sowing to harvest. As we stand at the intersection of tradition and technology, it’s clear that the future of farming is digital. By personalizing agricultural advice, empowering farmers with knowledge, and leveraging the power of digital tools, we are not just growing crops; we’re nurturing a new era of sustainable and prosperous agriculture.

Read the full assessment reporthere.

Beneath the vibrant tapestry of our rural landscapes lies an unsung hero – the soil. This living, breathing foundation is not just dirt beneath our feet; it’s the bedrock of our existence, pivotal in feeding the ever-growing global population. Yet, its silent cry for help often goes unheard. This World Soil Day, join us in unearthing the story of soil – a tale of neglect, revival, and hope.

Rural agriculture, the backbone of many economies, thrives on the health of its soil. It’s a delicate balance – managing the chemical, physical, and biological aspects that constitute healthy soil. This balance is critical, not just for sustainable farming practices, but for our very survival.

At Digital Green, we’re pioneering a movement to restore soil fertility and health. Our approach? A blend of traditional wisdom and modern technology. We champion sustainable agricultural practices, from soil and water conservation to the use of organic fertilizers like compost and vermicompost. Our methods go beyond enhancing soil’s nutrient availability; they rejuvenate its very essence, improving water retention and structure – keys to a resilient soil ecosystem.

Meet Emuye Muche, a 40-year-old farmer from Korata Kebele in Ethiopia. Her journey with Digital Green transformed not just her farm but her life. “My soil was acidic, and growing maize was a challenge,” she shares. “But after attending Digital Green’s video sessions on vermicompost, I saw a dramatic change. My backyard, once barren, now flourishes with vegetables, fruits, and maize.”

Kefelegn Tariku’s story is no less remarkable. Residing in Amhara, Ethiopia, this father of five faced the challenge of overusing inorganic fertilizers. Through our partnership with Alliance Bioversity and CIAT, and a customized Telegram bot, Kefelegn discovered the power of location-specific fertilizer recommendations. “I tried it on a small plot,” he recalls. “The results were so promising that I expanded it to a hectare. My yield skyrocketed in just a year.”

This World Soil Day, Digital Green reaffirms its commitment to nurturing soil health. By equipping farmers with knowledge and tools, we’re not just promoting sustainable practices; we’re empowering them to be guardians of their land and our ecosystems.

Together, we hold the power to safeguard soil health, champion sustainable agriculture, secure food supplies, and foster a healthier planet for generations to come. As we commemorate World Soil Day, let’s pledge to be active participants in this vital mission. The health of our soil reflects the health of our world. Join us in this crusade, for the earth beneath our feet holds the key to our future.

Together, we can help farmers grow more crops using the power of community, knowledge, and digital technology. Join us on #GivingTuesday by donating at https://givebutter.com/digitalgreen

In our 15 years of experience creating impactful work, we’ve learned that boosting productivity and incomes for smallholder farmers is crucial for improving rural livelihoods. But here’s the catch – many of these farmers face a major roadblock. They often lack easy access to timely and targeted knowledge that could help them increase productivity and adapt to changing weather patterns. 

Tailored Insights for Chilli Farmers

Small-scale chilli farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India, like many others across the country, faced the dual challenges of unpredictable climate and market conditions. To give them tools to face these challenges, we developed a practical solution leveraging digital technology designed for their unique and diverse needs. Through digital platforms and AI-powered crop assessments, farmers received tailored advisories around sowing, input use, and harvesting, aimed at improving chilli productivity in their specific location. These digital insights did more than improve productivity and incomes; they empowered them with collective wisdom and built community knowledge. 

We have reached over 63,000 farmers across five chilli-growing districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, bringing tangible change to their lives. Evaluations unveiled a remarkable increase in productivity and a substantial rise in net income per acre. Beyond the numbers, it was about securing a better future for the farming community.

AI Empowerment Bringing Change for Small-Scale Farmers

At Digital Green, we’ve been enhancing public extension systems in India, Ethiopia, and Kenya by leveraging digital technologies to provide farmers with timely, locally tailored advisory videos. However, a significant gap in the agent-to-farmer ratio poses challenges that extend beyond the average capacity of extension agents. To bridge this gap, we’ve introduced a multi-lingual AI Assistant for extension agents, aiming to nurture knowledge and growth for smallholder farmers.

The AI assistant delivers customized videos to extension agents, offering prompt solutions to farm-level problems and needs. It not only empowers extension agents by expanding their on-the-job knowledge but also builds confidence and saves time, enabling them to serve more farmers with a higher-quality service. The feedback mechanism ensures the AI assistant evolves based on farmers’ and extension agents’ needs. Agronomists can also utilize this data to create gender-sensitive and climate-smart agricultural models, providing localized recommendations for fertilizers, seed selection, and pest mitigation. 

Join us in creating more stories of transformation. Your support will help equip extension agents with AI-driven chatbots delivering real-time, localized advice through popular messaging platforms, making advanced agricultural knowledge as accessible as a message on the phone. Your generosity is more than a donation; it’s an investment in a future where every farmer has the tools to thrive, contributing to a collective vision for sustainable agriculture.

This #GivingTuesday, support this noble cause by harnessing the power of AI as we continue to make a real impact in the lives of farmers. 

DONATE: https://givebutter.com/digitalgreen

Farmer.CHAT on Telegram

‘The use of videos for community training is helping me reach more farmers at a time, it made my work easy and effective too. I am also observing more farmers coming to the training now,’ says Beena Devi, a Front Line Worker (FLW) from Ranchi district in Jharkhand, India. She is one of the FLWs trained for video dissemination using digital tools under the Digital Empowerment to Enhance Productivity (DEEP) project. 

These trained FLWs are disseminating videos on Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) and allied practices among farmers’ groups in their respective villages for skilling farmers and for improved adoption of practices. Meena Devi, a farmer from Bundu block of Ranchi, shared that  ‘adopting the natural farming practices will not only improve our health, but it will also improve the soil fertility. By adopting these practices, I am observing better crop growth and yield as well. There is no pest attack in the crops, and the produce is also tastier than before.’

In pursuing sustainable agricultural practices amidst the challenges posed by climate change, the video-based extension has emerged as a powerful tool. With the integration of community video approach in the training, the farmers are presented with an unprecedented visually engaging medium to absorb the information, which stands as a distinctive experience for them, thus increasing participation of the farmers in the training. 

To cater to the requirement at the field level, video advisories on NPM practices, pigeon pea and paddy cultivation, and strengthening collectives like PG/FPC and Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP) are being disseminated amongst the farmers during the ongoing kharif season. The videos not only enhance the overall learning experience but also allow the participants to revisit the content, reinforcing their understanding. Moreover, the skilled facilitation by the FLWs contributes significantly in maintaining participation, engagement, and attentiveness. As witnessed, there is an encouraging rise in male participation through video dissemination, which is programmatically designed for women groups. This results in increasing household-level discussion and agreement to adopt new practices in farming. 

FLW Sunita Devi from Simdega district shares, ‘the male counterparts are also interested in attending the dissemination as they found the videos interesting and useful. They are also getting motivated to adopt the practice of ‘lime application in farmland,’ which they watched during the recent dissemination session in the village. They appreciated the dissemination conducted by me and also the video-based advisories’. This inclusive approach is not only promoting gender equality but also increasing the overall impact of the dissemination initiatives. Among farmers, there is a demand for new videos on crop practices related to millets, Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP), honey, and vegetables. This growing demand highlights the farmers’ active interest in acquiring knowledge tailored to their specific needs and preferences. As this demand continues to grow, incorporating more video content is assumed to be central to empowering farmers with the knowledge necessary for informed decision-making and optimizing farming practices.

During the field visits and interaction with the FLWs and farmers, it was evident that there has been a considerable increase in the adoption of recommended practices amongst the farmers. By leveraging the visual medium, the videos effectively communicate the intricacies of CSA methods, making them accessible and relatable. The awareness and understanding of practices that could withstand the vagaries of climate change have notably increased among both FLWs and farmers. FLW Beena Devi mentions: ‘By watching the videos, practice adoption has become easier for the farmers, and almost more than 80% of the farmers are adopting the recommended practices.’ She is also preparing Neemastra, Jeevamrit, and other organic formulations for fertility and pest control and selling them to the farmers so they can get them handy when required. Being a farmer as well, she adopts the practices in her field too.

 Notably, as the transplantation of paddy has experienced delays due to late monsoon, to counter this challenge, farmers are diversifying their cultivation by prioritizing seasonally appropriate vegetable crops, both to align with changing patterns and to generate income. Millets, at present, have gained prominence as they can thrive in less water, as there is demand in the market. The farmers are now adopting water-saving practices in irrigation by avoiding overwatering and appropriate scheduling of the same, soil conservation approaches, inter-cropping strategies, and other related practices as the videos function as a bridge, simplifying these approaches and offering practical steps for their successful application. Farmers are now better equipped to navigate the complexities of contemporary agriculture while simultaneously addressing the challenges presented by a changing climate. They are leaning towards climate-friendly techniques like seed treatment using bio-formulations, line-sowing, bio-fertilizers, pesticides, and inter-cropping. This collective effort signifies a trajectory toward resilience and sustainability in agriculture.

To complement the video-based advisory sharing, WhatsApp-based chatbot is also being implemented during the current kharif season, where farmers could access real-time specific crop advisories on paddy and pigeon pea based on their need. The bot is now live for farmers, where the agriculture extension workers are taking the lead to spread this service among all the farmers in their respective villages, helping them get the videos on the required crop and crop stages. They are also demanding additional crop advisories, which reflects their interest and usefulness of the digital tools.

Project DEEP is being implemented for the small & marginal farmers of Jharkhand in collaboration with Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society (JSLPS) under Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana (MKSP) and with the generous funding support of Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd. The project incorporates Digital Green’s highly acclaimed video-based approach (VBA) for developing appropriate content based on formative research, producing short videos to demonstrate the application of new methods, and disseminating the videos to farmers. After successful completion of year 1 implementation of the DEEP project in 33 blocks of 8 districts, reaching 50k+ farmers during 2022-23, the project is now being scaled to additional 20 blocks, altogether covering 53 blocks from 13 districts with a target to reach additional 50k farmers in the year 2023-24.

12 September 2023, Kenya – Along with The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), we are proud to announce the launch of the Kenya Agriculture Data Sharing Platform (KADP), powered by FarmStack, an innovative data exchange platform designed to revolutionize the agricultural sector’s collaboration and innovation. Originally supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Ethiopia, we are excited to work with KALRO to expand it to Kenya. 

The agricultural sector faces many challenges that prevent the effective use of collected data. Private organizations do not want to share their data, local and national government agencies do not have access to comprehensive and accurate data to inform policy priorities and allocate subsidies, and farmers often do not have control or ownership over their own data.  This is where KADP comes in, as it aims to drive positive change and create prosperous farming communities in Kenya. 

As a digital public good that empowers organizations across the agricultural landscape to seamlessly share, integrate, and leverage valuable data for the greater good, KADP offers more customized services to farmers, fosters collaboration, enhances data accessibility and promotes sustainable agricultural practices. The establishment of this platform will reduce the barriers to organizations (government, private sector, and NGOs) to share data by providing the tools to do this securely with data usage controls and in line with the Kenya Data Protection Act and KALRO data sharing framework. When agricultural service providers are able to access insights from farmer data, farmers receive better services that are more tailored for the farmer organizations and farmers themselves.

Through this partnership, we aim to utilize KALRO’s estimated 4.8 million agricultural data to provide customized advisories adjusted according to weather forecasting from Tomorrow.io, KMD, and other partners. One of the ways FarmStack is already being used is by enabling better advisory services delivered by SMS by tailoring messages to farmers’ locations, crop/livestock mix, and sending them directly to their phones. As more service providers share their data, this will allow for improved financial and market services, as well as the targeting of government programs such as input subsidies that can help farmers. 

By leveraging the data-sharing features of FarmStack, our hope is that organizations can leverage data in ways that were previously not possible. We are excited about the promises of this novel approach to drive innovation, informed decision-making, and sustainable growth in the agricultural sector in Kenya.

Teguaded Yehunie is a 38-year-old single mother of three living in Dendegeb Kebele, Baso Liben Woreda, of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. She makes a living by selling tea and other beverages in a rented home. Despite her being illiterate, she gives her kids the chance to go to school and manages to save 100 ETB per week from her sales. 

Due to her low earnings, Teguaded was chosen by the kebele level committee to become one of the 25 members of Yabebal Self-Help Group. Following the selection process, Digital Green offered training to all members, assisted in choosing leaders, and established bylaws. They were provided with additional materials, like cash boxes and financial documents, to facilitate the group functioning. In their weekly meeting, Digital Green staff members and woreda partners coach and teach about the benefits of self-help groups, including how they foster social cohesion, a culture of saving, and loan availability for income-generating activities. Initially, each member saved 25 ETB and 5 ETB for social funds each week. Thus, their capital amounted to 30,275 ETB, and a matching fund was given to the group. 

As a result of her participation in the group, Teguaded planned a business to buy Teff, the grain used to make “Injera,” an Ethiopian staple, so that she can cook meals for sale in addition to serving tea and local beer. She received a loan for 4,000 ETB with a 10% interest rate for two months, from which she made a 2000 ETB profit in less than two months and was able to pay back the loan.

She later applied and was approved for a 7,000 ETB loan for three months and expanded her business using the loan and her own capital. She used to serve tea and local beer only, but now she has also managed to serve Injera, meals, and soft drinks. Prior to joining the self-help group, she could only save 100 ETB, and now she is saving 1000 ETB every week. She was able to pay back the loan again and is encouraged by Kebele leaders who regularly support her business by ordering meals when there is a meeting in the area.

As success continued, she applied for a third loan and was granted 10,000 ETB. Before, she always had the ambition of working on a large scale but had trouble getting loans. With the solution provided by the self-help group, she was able to realize her vision. She now advises others on the importance of using loan access and the difference that being in the self-help group has made in improving her livelihood. Today, she is a role model and inspiration for her group and community, and her success has inspired other women to want to join the group.