Mulugeta Y. Birhanu1, Simon Belete1, Ezekiel H. Goromela2, Deribe Gemiyo Talore3, Ochieng Ouko4, Wudu Temesgen1, Laurence Ochieng1, Menghak Phem5, Sothyra Tum5 Chhay Ty8, Hoa Hoang1¸ Ngo Thi Kim Cuc6, Ngo Thi Le Quyen6, Getnet Zeleke7, Fasil Getachew1,Tadelle Dessie1 1International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) 2Tanzania Livestock Research Institute (TALIRI). 3Central Ethiopia Agricultural Research Institute (CEARI) 4 Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) 5National Animal Health and Production Research Institute (NAHPRI) 6National Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) 7Amhara Agricultural Research Institute (ARARI) 8Livestock Development for Community Livelihood Organization (LDC), Cambodia Interactive Digital Extension and Advisory Services (IDEAS) App for Smallholder Poultry Producers in Tropical Countries: Overview and progress update Tropical Poultry Genetics Solution (TPGS) December 2024 www.cgiar.org Background and context The agricultural sector in most developing countries remains less productive and inefficient due to multiple constraints, including limited extension and advisory services. Extension and advisory services have multiple contributions: help to transfer new knowledge and information, promote new technologies, facilitate farmers’ access to inputs and outputs markets, and provide real-time support on emerging issues. In most developing countries, extension and advisory services are delivered through traditional approaches, which have various limitations, including limited coverage, high cost of operation, and inadequate real-time and tailored support to farmers. . www.cgiar.org Background cont’d Previous extension and advisory services based on traditional approaches have not resulted in the expected outcomes (Ragasa et al., 2013, Maake and Antwi, 2022, Agwu et al., 2023, Birhanu and Jensen, 2023). Most smallholder farmers still have limited access to extension and advisory services. The limited access to extension and advisory services can be associated with inadequate policy and strategy, poor rural and agricultural infrastructures, poor service delivery models, and other socio-economic and environmental factors. www.cgiar.org Background cont’d Advances in digital technologies have brought a new frontier to the use of digital tools for extension and advisory services. Unlike traditional approaches, digital tools can have better advantages in reaching a broader agricultural population and are cost-effective in delivering up-to-date information on emerging technologies. Farmers can also get support on real- time challenges and share good experiences with others using interactive features like discussion forums, including audio and video messages. www.cgiar.org What SAPLING/TPGS has been doing? ILRI, through a SAPLING initiative and other bilateral projects, has proposed to develop and deploy an app called “Interactive Digital Extension and Advisory Service (IDEAS).” This App is primarily designed to support smallholder poultry producers’ access to adequate production and marketing related information, build their technical capacity, and create a platform for discussion and knowledge sharing, including real-time advisory and support services. The App is being developed in various local languages for smallholder farmers in different countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Cambodia, Vietnam) www.cgiar.org Overview of the digital App content www.cgiar.org Forms of digital contents presentation Language:  English  Amharic  Swahili  Vietnamese  Khmer Status and planned activities Draft digital content developed in English, shared with partners, and feedback collected. Comments and feedback were incorporated, and the final digital content draft was developed. The final draft was translated into various languages and shared with native language speakers for editing and further enrichment. The near-final English version of the app is being developed. www.cgiar.org Status cont’d… A platform for discussion, Q&A, and sharing experiences Some of the contents of the digital App • The digital App helps farmers understand basic poultry production and marketing concepts and creates a platform for discussions, providing real-time support, and sharing experiences and success stories. www.cgiar.org What is next? Finalize the digital content in the proposed languages. Finalize the first draft of the digital App and deploy it for pilot testing. Collect feedback from national partners and other stakeholders and incorporate them. Finalize the digital App and validate it through a stakeholder workshop. Co-design a deployment strategy and implement it in selected villages. Evaluate outcomes and impacts and optimize the App if necessary. www.cgiar.org Bibliography Agwu, A. E., Suvedi, M., Chanza, C., Davis, K. n., Oywaya-Nkurumwa, A., Mangheni, M. N. & Sasidhar, P. V. K. 2023. Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services in Nigeria, Malawi, South Africa, Uganda, and Kenya. Research Repor. East Lansing, Michigan, USA: Alliance for African Partnership, Michigan State University.: Partnerships for Innovative Research in Africa (PIRA)t. Birhanu, M. Y. & Jensen, N. 2023. Dynamics of improved agricultural technologies adoption: The chicken and maize paradox in Ethiopia. Sustainable Futures, 5, 100112.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2023.100112 Coggins, S., McCampbell, M., Sharma, A., Sharma, R., Haefele, S. M., Karki, E., Hetherington, J., Smith, J. & Brown, B. 2022. How have smallholder farmers used digital extension tools? Developer and user voices from Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. Global Food Security, 32, 100577.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100577 Maake, M. M. S. & Antwi, M. A. 2022. Farmer’s perceptions of effectiveness of public agricultural extension services in South Africa: an exploratory analysis of associated factors. Agriculture & Food Security, 11, 34.10.1186/s40066-022-00372-7 Oosterwijk, G., Van-Aken, D. & lath, S. V. 2003. A Manual on Improved Rural Poultry Production (1st Edition, English Language). . Vientiane, Lao PDR: Department of Livestock and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Ragasa, C., Berhane, G., Tadesse, F. & Taffesse, A. S. 2013. Gender Differences in Access to Extension Services and Agricultural Productivity. The Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension, 19, 437-468.10.1080/1389224X.2013.817343 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2023.100112 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2021.100577 www.cgiar.org Thank you! This presentation is licensed for use under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence. December 2024 Acknowledgements This work was conducted as part of the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity. CGIAR research is supported by contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. �����Interactive Digital Extension and Advisory Services (IDEAS) App for Smallholder Poultry Producers in Tropical Countries: Overview and progress update Background and context Background cont’d Background cont’d What SAPLING/TPGS has been doing? Overview of the digital App content Forms of digital contents presentation Status and planned activities Status cont’d… What is next? Bibliography Slide Number 12 Acknowledgements��This work was conducted as part of the CGIAR Initiative on Sustainable Animal Productivity. CGIAR research is supported by contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. CGIAR is a global research partnership for a food-secure future dedicated to transforming food, land, and water systems in a climate crisis. �