Digital Agricultural Extension Services

Summary

In Ghana, public agricultural extension and advisory services are financially and technically weak, thus denying millions of smallholder farmers the opportunity to learn and apply efficient agronomic practices for improved food security. Using extension agents, mobile apps, radio, video, text messaging and voice messages, Grameen Foundation, Farm Radio International and Digital Green are providing farmers with information about adopting technology to increase productivity and nutrition in their communities.

Challenge/Problem

In Africa, agricultural extension programmes have been the main avenue for disseminating information on new technologies and assisting farmers to develop their farm management skills.  In Ghana, agriculture has been identified as the main driver for accelerated and sustainable growth and poverty reduction, but the sector has not sufficiently elevated people above the poverty line, especially the rural farmers who contribute immensely to agricultural production in Ghana. The sector employs almost half of Ghana’s workforce and contributes 20 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product. The sector is dominated by smallholder farmers using traditional production methods and farm inputs. Achieving productivity growth in the agricultural sector can only be successful through developing and disseminating improved agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers in rural areas. Inadequate extension services have been identified as one of the main limiting factors to the growth of the agricultural sector and rural community development.

A software application called SmartEx, developed by the Grameen Foundation, enables extension field agents equipped with computer tablets to reach more farmers with a one-stop bundle of agribusiness services and personalized mentoring that is not typically available.

Solution

In 2015, the Grameen Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit organization, established a programme known as AgroTech to enhance the reach and quality of Ghana’s existing national extension agent network and enable smallholder farmers to maximize the benefits of new farming technologies.  In partnership with Farm Radio International and Digital Green, AgroTech delivers radio and video subject matter content to smallholder farmers, which complements the individual education provided by community agents. AgroTech combines high-quality, interactive information services with content-rich, intermediated extension services by leveraging existing channels and proven methodologies. AgroTech’s mobile app enables both government and private company field agents to quickly understand and analyse farmers’ needs and crop history; to deliver agricultural advice; and to procure loans to purchase farm supplies like fertilizers and quality seed. AgroTech provides a powerful, integrated solution that enables extension providers, research institutions, and other value chain players to jointly address some of the biggest challenges facing rice and maize food crop production in Ghana.

 “Before I started working with the farmers, most of them weren’t keeping records. They didn’t know about drought-resistant varieties, but now they are trying to adopt them, and most of them are keeping their records well.”

-Rachel Derchie, field agent.

Results

As of April 2018, AgroTech had reached 500,687 farmers, one third of them women. Approximately 26 per cent of the total farmers reached, or 126,461 smallholder households, tried using improved seeds. Among beneficiaries who grew maize, average production increased by 230 per cent, from 919 kilograms to 2,208 kilograms, while the average yield per hectare of land increased by 16 per cent. Maize productivity for women AgroTech radio listeners was more than twice that of farmers in non-farm radio communities.

Four policy papers were provided to the government of Ghana with recommendations for transforming the country’s agricultural extension advisory into a modern, business-oriented, demand-driven and accountable business service provider led by the private sector. 

Lessons Learned/Potential for replication

Expanding the reach of the AgroTech model will require a greater focus on strengthening market access for farmers, providing farmers more flexibility in paying AgroTech agents, and further studies on the effects of information and communication technology-enabled extension services on crop yield and profitability.

Next Steps

Next steps include transferring the technology platform to a private operator and supporting the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in promoting the use of information and communication technology-enabled extension and advisory services such as AgroTech. More work is needed to make the SmartEx model more gender responsive (such as linking gender roles and responsibilities along the value chain).