Mobile Learning Platform in Ethiopia

Country: Ethiopia
Project details
Services:
Capacity building
Enterprise development
Value chain development
Crops:
Cereals

Implementation of a Mobile Learning Platform for Malt Barley Farmers in Ethiopia, 2022 - 2025

Donor: IFC

Partners:  IFC / Noventiq

Goal 

EUCORD is piloting a new mobile learning platform called Agri ChatBot in partnership with IFC and Noventiq. The platform provides farmers the possibility to access, through their mobile phones, agronomic advisory support and weather information, while generating surveys and offering farmer groups a messaging system. This will contribute towards enhancing malt barley production and productivity due to improved access to inputs and market information as well.

The Agri ChatBot will be complementary to the technical support provided by the BOOST II project in the form of training, demonstrations and field days. The activity will focus on 31 woredas in Arsi, Bale, East Shewa, West Arsi, Guji, Sidama, North Shewa, South Gonder & Gurage.

What We Do 

EUCORD will carry out the following activities:

  1. Manage the ongoing relationship with the IT service provider
  2. Coordination with IFC and Noventiq
  3. Promotion of the Agri ChatBot
  4. Implement the roll our of the Agri ChatBot
  5. Reporting on farmers' use of the Agri ChatBot

By the end of the project, the Agri ChatBot is expected to be successfully rolled out to an estimated 10,000 farmers.

Accomplishments

  • The management of the AgBot has been transferred from Microsoft to Noventiq
  • During agronomic training sessions, 96 DAs and agricultural experts were trained on the Agbot
  • The number of farmers registered for Agrichatbot reached 7,473 (Female = 975) and the number of active users 1,507
  • An assessment to understand the relatively slow usage of Agrichatbot was done and assessment showed that, farmers’ low level of awareness, poor connectivity, farmers’ low skills of using digital tools and absence of voice messaging are the main reasons
  • IFC agreed to extend the project until December 2025.