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 | Who | 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… Feb-March 2023 for Ethiopia; FY24 for India; TBD for Kenya | 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 |
What could DL consist of?
Use of technology → smartphones, web browser, cloud storage, SMS/WhatsApp/IVR, apps (KDE, SHG app, payment apps/wallets, etc.) + platforms (TBD… could be things like Facebook or ag-specific platforms, incl. FarmStack)
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
Adjusting for people with low or limited literacy
Access to technology (already have? Via extension agent/FPO/group?)
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 → Train on smartphone use and IVR access. Method: video with in-person mediation
Move forward with record digitization → Train on data capture/collection using digital tools (SHG app, KDE) + importance of digitization of records + value of data + understanding their records. Method: video with in-person mediation and/or built into SHG app/KDE
Train on data-driven decision making (e.g. how to decide on which practices to adopt based on market price information). Method: video with in-person mediation and/or TOT and/or built into SHG app/KDE
How to make it happen? → Smartphone/equipment training may already exist/off the shelf. It would need to be translated and storyboarded into training video. Other training modules would need to be prepared (consultant? firm?) and then storyboarded into training video format.
Reach: members of 40 SHGs + 30 gov’t partner staff
Kenya: Pilot to be identified
TBD
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