The Digital Agricultural Innovations and Services Initiative (DAISI) funds research to rigorously evaluate programs that increase the availability, quality, and reach of bundled digital agricultural solutions and services for small-scale agricultural producers. In collaboration with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), DAISI generates a rigorous evidence base to carefully identify whether and how bundled digital tools improve small-scale farmer welfare.

Motivation

Implementers are increasingly leveraging digital technologies to deliver information, financial services, insurance, market linkages, among other services at scale and at a low cost. These services are often bundled to address the multiple constraints faced by small-scale farmers. Despite the rapid growth of implementers in this space, evidence on the effectiveness of digitally-enabled services—including their targeting mechanisms and delivery models—in improving smallholder farmers’ welfare remains limited.Even less is known about how to design and deliver these services to effectively reach, benefit, and empower women. DAISI seeks to bridge these evidence gaps by collaborating with commercial providers, private-sector technology and fintech companies, telecommunications firms, governments, NGOs, and others to evaluate the impact of their services. DAISI also hosts a Regional Scholars program, offering dedicated funding and capacity-building opportunities for researchers based in a South Asian or African country.

Activities

DAISI funds our network of researchers to generate rigorous evidence through randomized evaluations on bundled services and/or digital tools that connect farmers to multiple services and reduce barriers for farmers to access services.

To achieve our goals, DAISI:

1. Connects digital service providers, researchers, and governments to facilitate multi-stakeholder research partnerships.
2. Funds randomized trials to build an evidence base on improving bundled and digital agricultural service provision.
3. Synthesizes available evidence to address and answer outstanding questions relevant to policy and practice.
4. Strengthens the capacity of researchers in South Asia and sub-Saharan African countries to run rigorous randomized impact evaluations.
5. Ensures decision-makers are aware of the evidence to inform relevant agricultural development strategies.

Read the DAISI Framing Paper 

DAISI is led and staffed by a collaborative team based at J-PAL and CEGA.