Empowering smallholder farmers through agricultural extension ICT tools

#SDGAction42070

Description

Partnership is working to increase small farmers access to ICT knowledge platforms via the Intel-backed software suite, eAgro. The software was developed by Grameen Intel Social Business, established by Intel Corporation and Grameen Trust to respond to global social problems. The tools help small farmers with more informed decision making on key aspects of their businesses, including seed and fertilizer selection, harvest planning and sales management. The partnership aims to bring low cost ICT, applications expertise and business models to IFADs network of more than 250 supported programs in 90 countries to help deliver localized solutions to rural farming communities.

Expected Impact

The implementation at country and/or project level follows a public-private partnership approach, whereby national level projects, with support from IFAD, work with local NGO and private sector partners to ensure field implementation. Grameen and Intel play the role of technical and knowledge partner providing the ICT tools, necessary on the ground training for knowledge transfer and deployment of the tools. As the projects develop impact assessments and reporting occur in a participative way where survey design, field survey and reporting are taken after joint reviews by partners. Use of Internal Champions which are dedicated local colleagues who work as advocates of the partnership in respective regions has been found to be an effective approach to bring in wider partners (public and private). Internally, both GISB and IFAD advocate among colleagues and scope opportunities to expand the partnership in additional countries.

Capacity

This partnership follows ToT based knowledge transfer model with local implementing partners including NGOs and government teams. GISB creates Master Trainers by providing training on the apps and soil test to locally-selected or recruited entrepreneurs/extension agents. This set of Master Trainers then repeat the same training to others and hence the knowledge spreads. Locally customized training tools are used at the project locations to ensure maximum uptake of the tech and knowledge transfer. As a result smallholder farmers get to access services from the ICT tools at their doorstep from their trusted local sources. IFAD ensures links to local experts from the public and private sectors to ensure tools are contextualized for local growing conditions, and to further ensure scale up and knowledge transfer.

Governed

Dedicated partnership contacts from each of the three partners speak monthly, to monitor progress and explore opportunities to expand into new regions. While exploring opportunities each partner jointly and/or individually takes on tasks such as online surveys, developing cases, and ICT tool demonstrations as ways to ensure dedicated efforts towards implementation of the partnership goal and ultimately the SGDs. In addition, a yearly review document is prepared to assess the success and struggles of the year and acts as a strategic tool to course correct where needed for the next year.

Partners

IFAD, Intel, Grameen Trust, Grameen Intel Social Business

SDGS & Targets

Goal 9

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

9.1

Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all

9.1.1

Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road

9.1.2

Passenger and freight volumes, by mode of transport

9.2

Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries

9.2.1

Manufacturing value added as a proportion of GDP and per capita

9.2.2

Manufacturing employment as a proportion of total employment

9.3

Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets

9.3.1

Proportion of small-scale industries in total industry value added

9.3.2

Proportion of small-scale industries with a loan or line of credit

9.4

By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

9.4.1

CO₂emission per unit of value added

9.5

Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending

9.5.1

Research and development expenditure as a proportion of GDP

9.5.2

Researchers (in full-time equivalent) per million inhabitants

9.a

Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States

9.a.1

Total official international support (official development assistance plus other official flows) to infrastructure

9.b

Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities

9.b.1

Proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added

9.c

Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020

9.c.1

Proportion of population covered by a mobile network, by technology

Goal 8

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

8.1

Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries

8.1.1

Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita

8.2

Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

8.2.1

Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person

8.3

Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

8.3.1

Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex

8.4

Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead

8.4.1

Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

8.4.2

Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

8.5

By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value

8.5.1

Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities

8.5.2

Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

8.6

By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

8.6.1

Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training

8.7

Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

8.7.1

Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age

8.8

Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

8.8.1

Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status

8.8.2

Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status

8.9

By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

8.9.1

Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate

8.10

Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

8.10.1

(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults

8.10.2

Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider

8.a

Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries

8.a.1

Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements

8.b

By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

8.b.1

Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

Goal 2

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

2.1

By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round

2.1.1

Prevalence of undernourishment

2.1.2

Prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

2.2

By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and older persons

2.2.1

Prevalence of stunting (height for age <-2 standard deviation from the median of the World Health Organization (WHO) Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age

2.2.2

Prevalence of malnutrition (weight for height >+2 or <-2 standard deviation from the median of the WHO Child Growth Standards) among children under 5 years of age, by type (wasting and overweight)

2.2.3

Prevalence of anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years, by pregnancy status (percentage)

2.3

By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment

2.3.1

Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size

2.3.2

Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status

2.4

By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality

2.4.1

Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture

2.5

By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed

2.5.1

Number of (a) plant and (b) animal genetic resources for food and agriculture secured in either medium- or long-term conservation facilities

2.5.2

Proportion of local breeds classified as being at risk of extinction

2.a

Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries

2.a.1

The agriculture orientation index for government expenditures

2.a.2

Total official flows (official development assistance plus other official flows) to the agriculture sector

2.b

Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round

2.b.1

Agricultural export subsidies

2.c

Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, in order to help limit extreme food price volatility

2.c.1

Indicator of food price anomalies

Goal 1

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

1.1

By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day

1.1.1

Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural)

1.2

By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.2.1

Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age

1.2.2

Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions

1.3

Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable

1.3.1

Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work-injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable

1.4

By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance

1.4.1

Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services

1.4.2

Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure

1.5

By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters

1.5.1

Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

1.5.2

Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP)

1.5.3

Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030

1.5.4

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

1.a

Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions

1.a.1

Total official development assistance grants from all donors that focus on poverty reduction as a share of the recipient country's gross national income

1.a.2

Proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection)

1.b

Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions

1.b.1

Pro-poor public social spending

SDG 14 targets covered

Name	Description

Deliverables & Timeline

17 December, 2021

In Cambodia, the partnership worked to train more than 165 active entrepreneur extension workers in five provinces using the GISB mobile ICT tools, with about 1,365 soil tests registered in the database, providing recommendations to more than 1,600 farmers.

Resources mobilized

Staff / Technical expertise

250000

Financing (in USD)

250000

Partnership Progress

No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.

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