AgriPath Toolkit: Scaling Digital Advisory Services Through Community-Based Agents
The AgriPath Toolkit is a practical resource for organizations implementing Digital Advisory Services (DAS) to enhance agent networks, improve agricultural practices and resilience, and deliver sustainable, smartphone-based advisory services to smallholder farmers, especially women.
Why Is This Toolkit Needed?
500 million small-scale farmers produce 70% of food but face hunger and lack information.
DAS offers sustainable solutions, yet they reach few farmers, particularly women and youth.
Combining DAS implementation with Community-Based Agents (CBAs) is the fastest, most efficient, and scalable way to build long-term farming resilience.
Who Can Benefit From The Toolkit?
Organizations scaling smartphone-based DAS applications using CBAs.
Development funders, private sector stakeholders, and public sector DAS participants.
How To Use The Toolkit:
The Toolkit starts with an introduction, followed by six sections or phases. Users of this toolkit will be at different stages of implementing DAS solutions.
We recommend starting with the Overview to determine which specific tools will be best depending on your organization’s needs.
Toolkit Introduction
Why Community-Based Agents (CBAs)
This paper develops the rationale for scaling smartphone-based DAS applications through CBAs.
Phase 1: Understanding Your Digital Ecosystem
The Understanding Your Digital Ecosystem tools introduce DAS stakeholders to barriers and opportunities for scaling smartphone-based DAS applications and how to pursue public-private partnerships. Phase 1a tools focus on assessing the digital ecosystem and Phase 1b tools focus on how to pursue public-private partnerships.
1b. Introduction to Private-Public Partnerships for Scaling Digital Advisory Services Coming soon!
Tool 1b.1 Memorandum of Understanding Template for Public-Private Partnerships Coming soon!
Phase 2: Building Scalable Digital Advisory Services Business Models
The Building Scalable Digital Advisory Services Business Models tools will provide structures to think through a CBA-inclusive DAS business model as well as the potential challenges and opportunities to which a DAS provider should anticipate and respond when building a scalable and sustainable business.
Introduction to Building Scalable Digital Advisory Services Business Models (coming soon).
Phase 3: Identifying Existing Agent Networks
The Identifying Existing Agent Networks tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to possible existing agent networks and how to interview agent network organizations for best-fit partnerships for scaling smartphone-based DAS applications.
Phase 4: Recruiting And Incentivizing CBAs
The Recruiting and Incentivizing CBAs tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to the important factors for recruiting CBAs, particularly women CBAs, and developing effective professional agreements with them.
Phase 5: Training CBAs
The Training CBA tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to resources for identifying training topics and training CBAs in content needed to be effective organizers, communicators, and community resources.
Phase 6: Monitoring CBAs Performance
The Monitoring CBA Performance tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to a menu of quantitative and qualitative indicators needed to monitor and evaluate CBA performance.