Digital Agricultural Advisory Services for Smallholder Farmers in the Context of COVID-19

Precision agriculture is also part of IFAD’s overall strategy to respond to the COVID-19 crisis through the Rural Poverty Stimulus Facility (RPSF).

As part of this effort, IFAD just launched a new project in partnership with Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD). A global non-profit organization, PAD pioneered a new model for agricultural extension that delivers personalized agricultural advice to farmers through their mobile phones. PAD uses social learning theory to identify what type of information and delivery mechanisms work best for farmers. Thanks to the collaboration with PAD, IFAD will provide actionable and timely information to 1.7 million small-scale producers – including women and youth – in Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan to help them improve their productivity, increase their profitability, and advance environmental sustainability in the context of COVID-19.

After this initial phase, IFAD’s ambition is to replicate and scale up digital extension solutions with PAD and additional partners at a larger scale globally.