Digital Agricultural Extension for Development
Raissa Fabregas, Tomoko Harigaya, Michael Kremer, Ravindra Ramrattan
Abstract
Abstract Providing information at scale about improved agricultural practices to smallholder farmers remains a challenge in most developing countries. Traditional dissemination methods like in-person meetings or radio programming can be costly to scale or offer too generic information. Moreover, while most agronomic recommendations focus on maximizing crop yields, farmers weigh multiple other factors when making farming decisions, such as the profitability of investments and risks. The proliferation of mobile phones has shifted these trends. Mobile agriculture extension can cost-effectively provide tailored suggestions to farmers and improve their use of information. This case study describes the use of digital extension technologies to support farmers in a number of contexts. We draw insights from various studies and the experience of Precision Development on the importance of human-centered design, monitoring, and continuous experimentation. The chapter also discusses the ecosystem of stakeholders for digital agriculture, concerns relating to privacy and financing, and how mobile services can be used to facilitate social learning.