Lessons for Sustainability: Failing to Scale ICT4Ag-Enabled Services

"ICTs have undoubted potential to boost agricultural production and value chains in ACP countries. But many efforts to introduce ICTs for this purpose have not been sustainable. What can we learn from their experiences?" - Michael Hailu, CTA Director

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), a joint international institution of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and the European Union (EU), launched a call for papers on failed information and communication technologies (ICTs) for agriculture (ICT4Ag) projects/initiatives – projects that showed early promise and received third-party support (from governments, donor agencies, or private sector investors) but did not reach fruition. What resulted was the stories in this booklet, which stress the importance of understanding the intended users, ensuring economic viability, fully promoting the service, and making sure the technology offered is the right solution to the problem.

The chapters/case studies include:

• Chapter 1 Assessing demand from users for services to be provided through ICTs - "A common mistake has been to concentrate on the technology rather than on the problem that technology is meant to solve. ICT4Ag projects have often assumed that they know what problems farmers and others face but have frequently failed to actually ask them." Case study: Kenya Seed Company (KSC)'s Maize Seed SMS (short messaging service, or text) initiative
• Chapter 2 Considering technical difficulties with the development and use of ICT solutions - "When it comes to software development, existing software that is tried and tested is often ignored in favour of 'starting from scratch'. Other technical problems faced by developers have included equipment provision, network coverage, poor phone lines and poor access to electricity." Case study: Two e-extension platforms developed in Ghana during 2012-13
• Chapter 3 Building up appropriate content for delivery through simple technologies - "Delivering information to farmers through ICTs requires a database of information that can be easily accessed. Moreover, it needs to be in languages that farmers can understand. Content development can represent a major cost that is often overlooked." Case study: AgriWorks4u's Carib Cultivate: an online repository of agricultural data (mobile phone app)
• Chapter 4 Strengthening the capacity of small-scale farmers to use ICTs - "Most case studies highlight the difficulties faced by farmers in using ICTs. These can be summarised as both language and ICT-literacy constraints, combined with cultural and other sensitivities." Case study: Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and radio for market information in Côte d'Ivoire
• Chapter 5 Considering costs for sustainability - "In particular, services provided free of charge to farmers are often difficult to continue after donors have departed." Case study: M-Kilimo: A farmer help line in Kenya
• Chapter 6 Working with traditional extension service providers - "A frequent observation from the case studies was that farmers still prefer to receive information through personal contact. Resources therefore need to be allocated so that extension staff can utilise available ICT4Ag services to the full." Case study: Monitoring and evaluation of a development project in Kenya through computers and software
• Chapter 7 Ensuring viable business models from the start - "How to generate revenue; how and how much to charge the beneficiaries; the opportunities for external contributions; and how to keep costs in line with revenue must all be addressed." Case study: Mobile Agribiz: Online support to farmers in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
• Chapter 8 Providing training, promotion and awareness of the tools - "First, the farmers need to know that it exists. Second, they need to know how to use it, as do those meant to advise them." Case study: SMS for agricultural extension in Zambia
• Chapter 9 Resolving internal and external responsibilities in implementing the service - "There are many competing claims for limited government resources and policymakers therefore need to be kept fully informed of a service's success. Partnerships can be a major factor in a project's success but if too many people are involved it may become difficult to manage." Case study: Electronic Uganda National Innovations Systems (EUNAIS), a call centre

Based both on research carried out for CTA and on other sources, the following lessons highlight issues that the report suggests should be taken into account when designing, introducing, and scaling up ICT4Ag projects;

1. Involve all the potential users when assessing demand.
2. Keep it simple: start by providing limited information to address a core problem, with the intention to upgrade and scale up services if the pilot is successful.
3. Do not pre-commit to any particular ICT solution.
4. Address literacy, gender, and social issues from the outset.
5. Consider the project cost.
6. Work with existing service providers: ICTs for extension purposes should not be designed to replace traditional extension methods but to supplement them.
7. Develop a viable business model.
8. Do not ignore training, promotion, and information requirements.
9. Ensure that all management and operational issues are resolved from the outset and that a new service is both confident of the competence of the planned implementers and has the full support of management.

Click here to access the report in French.