This document summarizes the Digital Green agricultural extension model which uses locally produced videos shown by local mediators to disseminate information to farmers. Key points:
- Digital Green shows short videos on farming best practices produced by and featuring local farmers. This helps overcome issues like illiteracy and lack of access to experts.
- Early experiments showed Digital Green was over 7 times more effective at increasing adoptions of new practices than traditional extension methods and cost 10 times less per adoption.
- The model scales through a network of local mediators who screen the videos on a rotating basis in villages and facilitate discussions to support farmers.
- Over 2500 videos have been produced on a range of topics indexed by location,
2. Agricultural Systems?
Low literacy
in local
lang
No bank account
Expensiv
e credit
No unique ID
Poor roads
Credit card
Computing device and connectivity not enough!
farmer expert
Quantity
buyersPoor quality
control
Market
3. 33
Agriculture Extension
“Training & Visit” extension popularized by the World Bank in 1970s
– Face-to-face interactions of extension officers and farmers
Extension officer “commuting” between farms
4. IT & Indian Agriculture
• Kiosks with Internet access
for farmers
• aAqua
– Pull-based Question and Answer
Krithi Ramamritham, IIT Mumbai
• eSagu
– Push-based Expert Review of Digital Photos
Krishna Reddy, IIIT Hyderabad
5. 5
??
Main source of information about new technology and
farm practices over the past 365 days (India: NSSO 2005)
Agricultural Social Networks
5
6. 6
Six months in field trying various combinations
Over 200 days of surveys, ethnographic investigation, and iterative design
Background of actors in video, Types of content,
Location and timing of screening, Method of dissemination,
Degree of mediation, Background of mediator, etc.
Background of actors in video, Types of content,
Location and timing of screening, Method of dissemination,
Degree of mediation, Background of mediator, etc. 6
Early ExperimentationParameters Varied
Early Experimentation
7. 7
21 villages in Karnataka:
– Language: Kannada
– Crops: Ragi, banana, mulberry, coconut
– Population: 50-80 households
– Irrigation: 10-20 households with access
– Television: 15-20 households
Metrics:
– Knowledge: Before-and-after
– Attendance: Farmers at each screening
– Interest: Intent to take-up a practice
– Adoption: Number of households taking up
each new farming practice or technology
7
Experimental Set-Up
Preliminary Evaluation
ExpertExpert
Extension
Officer
Extension
Officer
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Research AssistantResearch Assistant
Local MediatorLocal Mediator Local MediatorLocal Mediator Local MediatorLocal Mediator
Poster Green(3)
Same as Digital Green with local
mediator, but no TV/DVD
Mediator makes posters and holds
regular group sessions
Classical GREEN (8)
Same as usual
Digital Green (9)
3 sessions per week
Cost:
Rs. 9,500 ($240) for TV/DVD
per village
PC / camera costs shared
Extension officer shared
Mediator salary
Accountability:
Daily metrics and feedback
Official extension staff
15-month
study
Audio Green (1)
Same as Poster Green with
MP3 audio tracks from videos
8. 8
7 times more adoptions over classical extension
8
15 months:
13 villages, 3 nights a week, 1,000 regulars
Sustained local presence
Mediation
Repetition (and novelty)
Integration into existing extension
operations
Social homophily between mediator,
actor, and farmer
Desire to be “on TV”
Trust built from identities of farmers
and villages in videos
Digital Green: Early Results
9. 9
System Cost (USD)
/Village/Year
Adoption (%)
/Village/Year
Cost/Adoption
(USD)
Classical GREEN $840 11% $38.18
Digital Green $630 85% $3.70
Poster Green $490 59% $4.15
Cost-Benefit
9
Note: Decreasing amortized cost of hardware with time and scale
Digital Green is at least 10 times more effective
per dollar spent than classical extension!
10. 10
Participatory Content Production
10
Digital Green System
Introduction to innovations
– Standard extension
procedure
Rough “storyboarding”
– Repetitive pattern; easy to
learn
– Minimize post-production
Local farmers on their own fields
– Reduce perception of
“teachers”
– Promote “local stars”
13. 1313
Digital Green System
Video Database
Online video database
(http://www.digitalgreen.org)
>2500 videos of 8-10 minutes each
Quality-control, minor video editing,
Indexed by type, topic, locale,
season, crop, etc.
Distributed via memory card
14. 1414
Digital Green System
Mediated Instruction
Local mediator
– Performance-based honorarium
Human engagement
– Field questions, capture feedback,
encourage participation
– Balance genders
On-demand screenings
– Choice time and place
– Not “stand-alone” kiosk
Support and monitoring
– Daily metrics and feedback
– Official extension staff
15. 1515
Digital Green System
Structured Sequencing
Group Participation
Practices
with
longer-
term
visible
rewards
Practices
with short-
term
visible
rewards
Community
Assessment
Community
Assessment
Audience
Awareness
Season
Location
Time
16.
17. COCO | Connect Online, Connect Offline
Digital Green System
www.digitalgreen.org/tech
