USAID Digital Agriculture Ecosystem Assessment - Tajikistan
Assessment of the market landscape and the digital transformation needs of smallholder farmers
Description
The USAID Digital Agriculture Ecosystem Assessment assessment in Tajikistan, commissioned by USAID/Tajikistan and conducted by NIRAS in 2021/22, adoptsan ecosystem approach to understanding the market landscape and the needs of farmers inregards to their access to and use of digital tools. The assessment utilizes a desk research, expertinterviews and farmer focus group discussions (FGDs) as the primary data sources.The reportprovides critical insights into Tajikistan’s needs, value chains and sectoral bottlenecks, as well asthe digital connectivity status and accessibility to technology with the overall aim of understandingthe potential for digital agriculture services, platforms, systems and applications (apps). The report provides details of several digital agricultural solutions that arein use in the country and platforms providing weather forecasts, market prices and advice ondifferent crops.
Technology
The report highlights the main technologies and digital tools that are in use and the extent of their adoption in the country, including: 1) AGROINFORM.Tj: a mobile app and web-based agricultural information marketing system that provides information to all those engaged in agribusinesses, from agricultural producers to processors, and from wholesalers to suppliers of agricultural products. It further provides its users with weather forecasts and market prices and provides advice on different crops through SMS; 2) Messaging apps such as Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp and IMO groups, used for sharing agricultural information. 3) An app developed by the Tajikistan’s Association of Producers of Agricultural Product through which farmers are provided with educational materials, legal documents, news and services, providing them with access to agriculture extension service providers, training and a digital marketplace; 4) e-wallets used for purchases, food shopping, fund transfers, utility payments, etc. 6) Zypl.ai, a credit scoring system based on artificial intelligence (AI) facilitating automated decision-making on micro-loans; 7) An app created under an IFAD-funded project for the digital mapping of pasture
Target
The main users of the assessment are institutions engaged in the provision of digital agriculture services to smallholder farmers, supporting the operations of such stakeholders as donors, humanitarian organizations, investors and government bodies.
Impact
The report investigates the challenges faced by smallholder farmers in Tajikistan in accessing and using digital solutions, and puts forward six tailored suggestions of how to address the high-priority agriculture digitalization bottlenecks. The assessment primarily identifies areas for intervention, but also aims to serve as a roadmap for all stakeholders involved in Tajikistan's digital development and in the implementation of impactful programmes.
Partners
Sustainable Progress of Society - NIRAS, Development Alternatives Inc. Global (DAI)I, Feed the future
Four Betters
Better production
Better life
