Sophie Javers spearheads strategic engagement and partnership initiatives, amplifying the Lab’s research on food security to shape policy and development programs. Her efforts create knowledge-sharing opportunities and elevates evidence-based resilience discourse at the local, national, and international levels. She holds a BA in History from Princeton University and a MA in International Policy Studies from Stanford.
Smallholder farmers face numerous challenges to building the resilience of their local food systems. These include inefficient and fragmented markets, limited information access, and, of course, increasing climate-related shocks. This ICT4AG session submission highlights three rigorous research projects that are part of the Advancing Local Leadership, Innovations, and Networks, an initiative funded by USAID’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk and Resilience. These projects combine leading local research expertise with Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to address these obstacles and strengthen smallholder farmer resilience.
Project 1: The “Adapting to Climate Risk with Mutual Weather-Index Crop Insurance in Nigeria” research project utilizes smart-phone photo-based improvements to agricultural insurance to enable and protect agricultural productivity investments, like the use of climate-smart fertilizer, new seed varieties or the adoption of complementary farm management practices in order to better protect against climate shocks and food insecurity.
Project 2: The “Digital Literacy, Output Market Access, and Demand for Rural e-commerce in Nigeria” project addresses market inefficiencies by providing digital literacy training to farmers, enabling them to utilize mobile phones for e-commerce. This initiative aims to empower farmers with digital skills, facilitate market access, and promote inclusive agricultural growth.
Project 3: The “Impact of Agro-Weather and Market Information on Productivity and Resilience in Farming Communities in Kenya” research project examines the impact of Government of Kenya’s digital agro-weather and market advisories to promote climate-smart agricultural practices. The research team provides the first evidence from a national program on the impact these advisories have on farmers’ decision making, including for women and poor families.
This session will showcase locally-led, on-the-ground approaches currently being tested to harness the power of ICT in addressing agrifood system challenges. Participants will gain insights not only into the use of these digital innovations to empower smallholder farmers by enhancing market access, but also how supporting localization leads to greater development impacts. Through discussion and knowledge sharing, attendees will hear lessons learned and consider practical insights from local leaders in development research on the implementation of ICT-focused initiatives.
New Delhi, India
Texcoco, Mexico
Washington, D.C., United States
