Harnessing Digital Agriculture Technologies for Smallholder Farmers

Project Summary:

The project aims to improve smallholder farmers’ access to quality inputs and extension services by harnessing digital technologies in Lao PDR, Cambodia, and Myanmar The project will also support the design and piloting of digital enabled activities in agriculture, particularly testing digital solutions to improving access to quality inputs and e-extension under the World Bank financed $25 million project in Lao PDR, the National Food and Agriculture System Project. The grant will support activities to test innovative ideas of creative service delivery platform of green and sustainable agricultural practices for smallholder farmers and to demonstrate proof of concept to the Government of Lao PDR for further scaling up.

This grant is linked to Lending ($25,000,000).

List of Activities:

1. Innovation Forum and Challenge Events 
2. Program design for a pilot digital solution to improve farmers' access to inputs
3. Development of content and design for e-extension program
4. Designing a road map to establish smart farm technology 

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• AgTech entrepreneurs identified to participate in the activities 1,2 and 3

Output 2:

• A digital input support pilot designed and implemented

Output 3:

• 3.1. Digital extension contents developed
• 3.2. digital platform designed for extension service

Output 4:

• A road map to establish smart farm technology

Outcomes:

The project will achieve improved efficiency, greater resilience, and increased competitiveness of agriculture in Lao PDR. One expected outcome is Government of Lao PDR’s input support program, which creates incentives for smallholder farmers to introduce green practices, will improve its efficiency and Transparency by introducing digital voucher mechanism. Another expected outcome is the extension services, which support smallholder farmers to improve the productivity, will improve efficiency in delivering tailored services with digital platform and well-designed contents. Secondly, the project will improve resilience by supporting smallholder farmers to adopt climate resilient crops, climate smart technologies, and green agricultural practices. Lastly, the project aims to increase competitiveness by identifying and linking Ag-tech entrepreneurs with scalable and creative solutions in Lao PDR with Korean innovative peers; and by leading smallholder farmers to adopt smart farm technologies and increase production of market oriented high value crops.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• National Information Society Agency (NIA) to understand the current ecosystem of the digital technologies and ag-tech enterprises in Myanmar and the region.
• Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to design e-extension contents which align with KOICA’s extension service mechanism enhancement project, and ensure the harmonized operation of e-extension.