Brainstorming ideas of what digital literacy work as part of the DFN could look like. Expect this info dump to be a mess while I collect feedback.
Digital literary (DL) lives within the DFN as the way to ensure farmers & farmer organizations (FPOs, SHGs, coops) have the skills needed to make the best use of their data and participate in the DFN. DL is the foundation to enable the DFN.
DL entry points
Incorporate DL content into our community video work. We advocate with partners to explain why this is critical and then we come up with the core components and integrate this as a part of our core package.
We upgrade facilitator training and/or identify a new group member role, which is a digital champion role (since it might be overburdening to put so much on the same facilitator). Design the facilitator training and experience (working with a partner) but this would be highly community-specific, thus contributing to their agency.
Incorporate DL components in the actual unified, farmer-facing solution.
All this would be tied to a particular data type or use case - otherwise, value could be too abstract.
Next steps
What | Why | Whom | When | Goal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Talk to partners (gov’t/state level) | See point #1 above. Talk to partners to understand what is needed to support SHGs & other farmer groups to reach digital maturation (in a light touch way)? What role could facilitators/ mediators play? Advocate DL. | Country teams & those closest to gov’t partners | FY23 | Receive buy-in from partners to tie-in DL activities. Concrete set of digital literacy activities within a specific use case and geography. |
Identify partners in the digital literacy space | ID the NGOs, companies, etc. already working in this space, creating DL curriculum (esp. for SSP). Follow up with Regen & their DL curriculum insights & work with SEWA as a starting point. | Strategy Team + key staff in country offices (working on KM, strategy, training, etc.) | FY23 (first 6 months) | Partners who can provide DL curriculum or adjust it to meet the needs of our projects/initiatives, gov’t partners & beneficiaries. |
Develop curriculum integration plan + roll out | Get DL materials out to farmers/ FOs via video extension (videos teaching DL) + other means (facilitator training or TOT for example). MEL plan to understand impact & learnings | Program (Training) + MEL for impact piece | TBD… Probably ASAP for Jimma (later half FY23); FY24 for India | Train SSP + FOs on DL |
Integrate digital literacy/digital confidence features into UI/UX of DFN app | Inclusivity, usable by farmers and ensure DFN vision comes to fruition and doesn’t leave people behind | Tech/Product | Longer term process; TBD. | Inclusive app |
DL activities in the next year (FY23) - refer to this write up for plans
India: Pilot to be identified
TBD
Ethiopia: Jimma SHG digitization of books/records (video here)
There is a plan already for business planning training, leadership, group development, conflict mgmt, loan collection/disbursement processes, etc. Build DL into this.
Disburse new equipment and add smartphone/computer/web/cloud use DL training. Could be video in-person with mediation.
Move forward with record digitization and add training on how to use app & record-keeping software + importance of digitization of records + value of data, & understanding their records. Training could be via video in-person with mediation.
How to make it happen? - Smartphone/equipment training may already exist/off the shelf. Translation and storyboarded into training video. Other training modules would need to be prepared (consultant? firm?) and then storyboarded into training video format.
What could DL consist of?
Use of technology(smartphones, web browser, SMS/WhatsApp, apps (KDE, payment apps/wallets, etc.)) + platforms (TBD… )
Understanding the value of their data - what data are they providing to whom, how can the data be used, etc.
Understanding how to provide consent to sharing their data
Evaluation of the trustworthiness of those whom they share data with (Is this too loaded? It is important!)
Considerations
Adult learning principles
Illiterate/low literacy people
Access to technology (already have? Via extension agent/FPO/group)
Resources
https://digitalconfidence.design/
Digital Empowerment Foundation (India) - National Digital Literacy Mission
https://www.defindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Paper_-COL-and-Start.pdf
http://www.digitalindia.gov.in