Digital Green is an organization that uses digital video to provide agricultural extension services to farmers. They produce short videos featuring local farmers demonstrating best practices. Videos are shown to groups of farmers by a local mediator. Digital Green has found this approach to be 7 times more effective than traditional extension methods in driving adoption of new practices, and over 10 times more cost-effective. Their approach leverages existing social networks to spread information through communities and builds trust through using local identities. Over 2,800 videos have been produced and viewed by farmers in over 10,000 villages across India since 2006.

1. Social Networks for Agricultural Development
digitalGREEN
www.digitalgreen.org | @digitalgreenorg

2. Technology Revolution?
Low literacy
in local lang
No bank account
Expensive
credit
No unique ID
Poor roads
Credit card
Mobile devices and connectivity not enough!
farmer expert
Quantity
buyersPoor quality
control
Market

4. 4
?
Main source of information about new technology and
farm practices over the past 365 days (India: NSSO 2005)
Agricultural Social Networks
4

5. 55
Video provides…
– Resource-savings: human, cost, time
– Accessibility for non-literate farmers
Digital Video for Extension

6. 6
Six months in field trying various combinations
Over 200 days of surveys, ethnographic investigation, and iterative design
Background of actors in video, Types of content,
Location and timing of screening, Method of dissemination,
Degree of mediation, Background of mediator, etc.
Background of actors in video, Types of content,
Location and timing of screening, Method of dissemination,
Degree of mediation, Background of mediator, etc.
6
Early ExperimentationParameters Varied
Early Experimentation

7. 7
Participatory Content Production
7
Digital Green Approach
Introduction to innovations
– Standard extension
procedure
Rough “storyboarding”
– Repetitive pattern; easy to
learn
– Minimize post-production
Local farmers on their own fields
– Reduce perception of
“teachers”
– Promote “local stars”

8. 88
Digital Green Approach
Videos Curriculum
Online video database
http://www.digitalgreen.org
>2,800 videos of 8-10 minutes each
Quality-control, minor video editing,
and metadata tagging
Indexed by type, topic, locale,
season, crop, etc.
Distributed via memory cards

9. 99
Digital Green Approach
Mediated Instruction
Local mediator
– Performance-based honorarium
Human engagement
– Field questions, capture
feedback, encourage
participation
– Balance genders
On-demand screenings
– Choice time and place
– Not “stand-alone” kiosk
Support and monitoring
– Daily metrics and feedback
– Official extension staff

10. 1010
Digital Green Approach
Structured Sequencing
Group Participation
Practices with
longer-term
visible rewards
Practices with
short-term
visible rewards
Community
Assessment
Audience
Awareness
Season
Location
Time

12. 12
1
2
3
Network Effect
Viral Web 2.0 in the Web-less world
- Content ecosystem: education, entrepreneurship, entertainment
- Cost-realistic access: pico projectors, TVs, DVD players, and camcorders
Reinforce existing social networks to diffuse innovations through communities
Local “idol” competitions to be a better farmer
Digital Green Approach
12

13. 13
Metrics:
– Knowledge: Before-and-after
– Attendance: Farmers at each screening
– Interest: Intent to take-up a practice
– Adoption: Number of households taking up
each new farming practice or technology
13
Experimental Set-Up
Preliminary Evaluation
Expert
Extension
Officer
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Farming
Community
Research Assistant
Local Mediator Local Mediator Local Mediator
Poster Green(3)
Same as Digital Green with local
mediator, but no TV/DVD
Mediator makes posters and holds
regular group sessions
Classical GREEN
Same as usual
Digital Green
1 screening/group/fortnight
Cost:
Rs. 9,500 ($240) for TV/DVD
per village
PC / camera costs shared
Extension officer shared
Mediator salary
Accountability:
Daily metrics and feedback
Official extension staff
15-month study
Audio Green (1)
Same as Poster Green with
MP3 audio tracks from videos

14. 14
7 times more adoptions over classical extension
14
Sustained local presence
Mediation
Repetition (and novelty)
Integration into existing extension
operations
Social homophily between mediator,
actor, and farmer
Desire to be “on TV”
Trust built from identities of farmers
and villages in videos
Digital Green: Early Results
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
Apr-07
May-07
Jun-07
Jul-07
Aug-07
Sep-07
Oct-07
Nov-07
Dec-07
Jan-08
Feb-08
Mar-08
Apr-08
May-08
Jun-08
Cumulative
AdoptionRate(%)
Classic GREEN
Digital Green
Poster Green
Audio Green

15. 15
System Cost (USD)
/Village/Year
Adoption (%)
/Village/Year
Cost/Adoption
(USD)
Classical GREEN $840 11% $38.18
Digital Green $630 85% $3.70
Poster Green $490 59% $4.15
Cost-Benefit
15
Note: Decreasing amortized cost of hardware with time and scale
Digital Green is at least 10 times more effective
per dollar spent than classical extension!

16. 1
10
100
1000
10000
2006 2008 2009 2012 2013 2015
Villages
Pilot Research NGO Bootstrap Government and Private
Sector Partnerships

17. Personalized
• Analytics Data
• Farmer
Feedback
Localized
• Extension
Interventions
• Content Library
Generalized
• Literature
Reviews
• Research Trials
Self Help Group
Savings/Credit
Soil
Sampling
Seed
Treatment
Line
Sowing
…
Market
Linkages
Government
Schemes

19. Data Management System
Digital Green Technology
digitalgreen.org/coco

20. Analytics
Digital Green Technology
analytics.digitalgreen.org

21. Video Courseware
Digital Green Technology
digitalgreen.org/discover

22. Farmerbook
Digital Green Technology
digitalgreen.org/farmerbook

23. Wonder Village
Digital Green Technology
apps.facebook.com/wondervillage

24. The Internet in the
Developed World
The essence of the Internet is just
GET, POST, and a cloud of computing devices,.
24

25. Computers (and their supporting infrastructure) are scarce in the BOP.
Digital Green
But, there are other means to GET and POST.
The Internet in the
Developing World?
25

26. Explode Internet for
BOP:
Wired,
wireless,
and beyond!
26

27. Financial
operational costs,
maintenance,
training
Digital
hardware,
software,
connectivity,
content
Physical
building,
goods,
transport,
roads
Human
education,
computer literacy,
motivation,
awareness
Social
institutions,
norms,
political support
Technology is Just One Part

28. Financial
operational costs,
maintenance,
training
Human
education,
computer literacy,
motivation,
awareness
Social
institutions,
norms,
political support
Digital
hardware,
software,
connectivity,
content
Physical
building,
goods,
transport,
roads
In the Developed World…
(includes wealthier segments of developing countries)

29. In the Developing World…
Digital
hardware,
software,
connectivity,
content

30. Technology magnifies human intent and capability.
Technology itself requires support from well-
intentioned, competent people or organizations.
Successful technology interventions work as a part of
well-intentioned, competent organizations.

31. digitalGREEN
www.digitalgreen.org | @digitalgreenorg