Paul Ssengooba

Mobile Ag-Finance extension: Community Knowledge Worker support to rural

communities

About Grameen Foundation

Relevant and actionable

information

Appropriate financial services

Livelihood opportunities (microfranchises)Solutions we deliver

Domains in which we can have the greatest impact

Financial services

Agriculture Health

Mobile Phones

Reaching the Poorest (targeting women)

Social Performance Management

Them

es

Financial Capital, Human Capital, Technology, Business model innovation

Inputs and key competencies

• Limited access to markets

• Inadequate extension services

• Limited access to credit

• Climate change

• Costly and fake agriculture inputs

• Poor rural road infrastructure

Challenges: Agriculture

The Solution: The CKW Initiative

The CKW Business-in-a-Box

Financial Support

Each CKW Business-in-a-Box is Funded by lenders on Kiva.org

Smartphone loaded with apps Solar Charger

Training Marketing Support

CKW Search47 crops + 10 livestockImages, GPS

CKW SurveySimple touch interfaceComplex surveys, GPS

CKW PulseTwo-way search application Individual and group messaging

Scale

6

Video

Broker inputsand financial

services

Global Research and Content CreationAFSIS, CABI, AGRA, ToToAgriculture, others

Localization, Media Formats, Local Content & SupportExecutive Review Board (official agencies) Local Content Packaging User

Centered Design Knowledge Base Content Management System

Farmer-to-Farmer & Group OutreachExtension Agent, CKW (Para Extension), Demo Plots, Field Schools etc

Smartphone(Multi-media APPs, Data, Management)

Feature Phone (SMS, USSD, Call Center, Radio, Data)

Radio

Via Extension Agent/CKW/ Feedback Loop Direct to Farmer

Current framework: A tiered model of tailored content and farmer-to-farmer delivery is crucial to a scalable solution

Fram

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Cont

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12/04/2023

7

Farmers Registered208,953

Total Interactions

1,882,557

Repeat Usage

27%

Districts36CKWs

1,200

Info Searches1,214,525

Surveys conducted

73,200

Crops & Animals

47+10

Villages Reached

19,068 Female35%

Sustainability26% Content

partners10

Very poor43%

Sustainably improving the lives of small-holder farmers through access to information and services

Progress…

Impact/ Lessons learnt

• CKW as a change agent for behavior and knowledgeIFPRI Study (CKW vs non-CKW areas)

• 30% increase in extension services• Increase in farmer knowledge (17%)• Higher farm gate prices (22%)

• Mobile Technology platform delivers multi-media content

• Performance management and growth plan key for CKWs

Lessons Learned

As CKWs saturate their parishes with farmer registrations, we shift our focus to repeat farmer interactions to increase adoption

Full utilization of agent network for adoption focused extension ( adoption drive)

• shifting our content tools and approaches from demand driven extension to proactive outreach

• Farmer grouping structure

10

Inputs

Agricultural Inputs

Financial Services Financial Services

Output Markets

• Inputs Marketing• Negotiation/Orders • Delivery Facilitation• Authenticity Verification• Input Guarantee Facilitation

• Market Prices• Quality Certification• Supply Aggregation• Group Marketing / Sales• Sale Logistics Facilitation

• Service Marketing• Group Mobilization• Risk Data Collection• Loan Application• Loan Monitoring

• Advance Input Purchase• Commitment Savings• Buyer Payments• Crop insurance• Marketing

12/04/2023

Beyond Extension

S

Financial services - Challenges

• Distance to Financial institutionsGeneral Population(within 5 km radius)

General Population(Beyond 5 km radius)

Poor population(5km)

Urban 99%(4,246,486)

1%(42, 465)

11.3%(484,407)

Rural 28.4%(8,278,713)

71.6%(20,876,096)

25.5%(2,823,391)

Total 37.5%(12,526,951)

62.5%(20,918,560)

28.6%(3,308,001)

• Lack of knowledge about financial products

• Lack of appropriate products

Challenge: Distance and cost of delivery

• Pilot project with Opportunity Bank – using a trusted community of persons with smart phones

BankGFCKW

Rural community

• Training on financial products• Signs up farmers for accounts/loans

• Mobilise farmers for financial products• Provide financial literacy• Provide agric. extension services

• Deeper reach of rural customers• Improved cost of sales for financial products• Reduce risk on loans through ag. extension

• Improved access to finances• Income smoothing• Earnings from mobilisation activities

Roles

Value proposition

Conclusion

• Agricultural services• Financial services• .

Platform of rural based persons with smart phones key for adoption

Barriers to finance