The CH plans to provide technical assistance to African Governments that are prioritizing investments in the development of Digital Agricultural Extension and advisory services through a consulting firm The technical assistance will include helping Ministries of Agriculture to conduct digital readiness assessments and develop national roadmaps for the digitalization of the agricultural sector especially in the area in digital extension, holding dialogue with decision-makers focusing on governments’ role in coordinating investments in digital agriculture data infrastructure and creating an enabling environment for private service providers and investors to participate in digital extension and digital agriculture. CH intends to support governments in leveraging digitalization to strengthen extension and advisory service provision.
The TAAT Clearinghouse wishes to contract a consulting firm who will reinforce CH’s technical assistance to countries in the design and implementation of digital extension and advisory solutions.
The consulting firm musthave experience with Digital Agriculture Technology solutions that are emerging on the African continent such as:
● Digital Agricultural Extension Services that provide smallholder farmers with advisory messages across crop, livestock, and fisheries value chains, including information on recommended agricultural practices, input use (including type, quantity, and timing), innovative climate-smart technologies, pest and disease outbreaks as well as market and price information and other useful information drawing on innovative agricultural research from CGIAR and other research institutes, with the goal of improving farmers’ agricultural production, profits, and climate resilience.
● Weather and Climate Advisory Services that enable farmers to receive digital messages containing real-time information on weather realization, weather and climate forecasts across short, medium, and long-range time scales, and advice on how to adapt farming practices based on this dynamic weather information, aimed at improving farmers’ decision-making across a wide range of farming practices that are affected by the weather, improving farmers’ agricultural production, profits, and climate resilience, and helping farmers reduce catastrophic crop loss associated with weather shocks such as flood, drought, and extreme temperatures, particularly heat…
● e-Registries include national registries for farmers, input dealers, service providers (e.g. veterinary services, artificial insemination, mechanization, etc.), cooperatives, off-takers and other agricultural stakeholders across a wide range of crops, livestock and fishery value chains.
● e-Platforms that facilitate the distribution of agricultural inputs from different suppliers to agro-dealers and farmers, including government-subsidized agricultural inputs and facilitate traceability of sources and quality of these agro-inputs. The latter should include the private sector participating in a market environment. Such platforms may integrate mobile money or e-wallet features, market access, market information and mechanization services. The e-platforms should be accessible and interactive with service providers via mobile applications, the web, and simple mobile channels such as voice, SMS, and USSD for feature phones to reach farmers that do not have access to the internet.
● Digital Financial Services include platforms that support accessing and payments for agro-inputs using e-wallets or mobile money, as well as other financial services such as loans for agricultural inputs and insurance to protect farmers against loss associated with weather and climate shocks or other risks. This should be integrated into the e-platform and enable farmers to redeem inputs at any registered agro-dealer. Financial institutions should be able to offer credit and other services to farmers through this platform.