User-centred design of a digital advisory service: enhancing public agricultural extension for sustainable intensification in Tanzania

Abstract

Sustainable intensification (SI) is promoted as a rural development paradigm for sub-Saharan Africa. Achieving SI requires smallholder farmers to have access to information that is context-specific, increases their decision-making capacities, and adapts to changing environments. Current extension services often struggle to address these needs. New mobile phone-based services can help. In order to enhance the public extension service in Tanzania, we created a digital service that addresses smallholder farmers' different information needs for implementing SI. Using a co-design methodology-User-Centered Designwe elicited feedback from farmers and extension agents in Tanzania to create a new digital information service, called Ushauri. This automated hotline gives farmers access to a set of prerecorded messages. Additionally, farmers can ask questions in a mailbox. Extension agents then listen to these questions through an online platform, where they record and send replies via automated push-calls. A test with 97 farmers in Tanzania showed that farmers actively engaged with the service to access agricultural advice. Extension agents were able to answer questions with reduced workload compared to conventional communication channels. This study illustrates how User-Centered Design can be used to develop information services for complex and resource-restricted smallholder farming contexts.

Extension and Advisory Organizations on the Road to the Digitalization of Animal Farming: An Organizational Learning Perspective

“…The lack of studies on the ways these organizations approach digitalization does not permit any conclusion. However, we know that albeit these organizations, especially public ones, may find it hard to follow external changes and to meet new requirements [74], they undertake attempts to follow the external environment [40,101,102]. On the other hand, individual advisors seem to realize that digitalization has the potential to shape a different future for agriculture [103].…”

Understanding and informing decisions on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification in Sub-Saharan Africa

“…Thirdly, farmers and other stakeholders need access to services and information to support effective implementation of SAI. ICT tools have a potential role to play in improving such access, but need to be better tailored to farmers' needs and capacities (Ortiz-Crespo et al, 2020;Steinke et al, 2020). Effective use of combinations of communications media can contribute to increased knowledge and uptake of practices by farmers (Silvestri et al, 2020).…”

Digital and virtual spaces as sites of extension and advisory services research: social media, gaming, and digitally integrated and augmented advice

“…Though there seems to be an acceleration of technological developments lately, digitalization is not a new phenomenon and there is substantial experience with digitally mediated learning and innovation spaces (Klerkx, Jakku and Labarthe 2019). Scholars have, for example, looked at the strengths and limitations of ICT in information provisioning to farmers through different forms such as ICT kiosks, information centers, and text messages through mobile phones (Baumüller 2017;Gow et al 2020;Misiko and Halm 2016;Munthali et al 2018;Narine, Harder, and Roberts 2019;Ortiz-Crespo et al 2020;Ramkumar et al 2007;Sulaiman et al 2012;Tata and McNamara 2018), the role of computer-mediated decision support systems and learning tools (Antle, Jones, and Rosenzweig 2017;Ditzler et al 2018;Jones et al 2017;Rose et al 2016), as well as the role of social media in knowledge exchange and advice provisioning (Aguilar-Gallegos et al 2021;Chowdhury and Hambly Odame 2013;Kaushik et al 2018;Mills et al 2019;Munthali et al 2018;Munthali et al 2021;Singh Nain, Singh, and Mishra 2019).…”