The Toolkit for Digital Advisory Services (DAS) Implementers (March 2025)
 The Toolkit for DAS Implementing Organizations is a practical guide to strengthen extension agent networks for improved delivery of DAS to smallholder farmers.

We invite DAS stakeholders to collaborate with us in the toolkit creation process, to influence its design and content, and to ensure that it is well tailored to specific needs of DAS implementers.

To share your experiences with DAS, or provide feedback on the toolkit, please share your details via the contact form.

Introduction

There are 500 million small-scale farmers worldwide, producing 70% of the world’s food, yet many face chronic hunger and lack essential information to improve harvests, income, and climate resilience. With declining public extension services, digital agricultural advisory services (DAS) offer a promising solution to equip farmers with sustainable practices. However, DAS currently reaches only a small fraction of smallholder farmers, particularly excluding women and youth who face unequal access to these tools. 

The Challenge: "Limited use of smartphone-based DAS applications among smallholder farmers, especially among women and girls."

AgriPath research aims to identify, evaluate, and promote promising pathways for DAS that empower female and male smallholders to make informed decisions and sustainably increase their agricultural productivity, income, and climate resilience through the uptake of sustainable farming practices.AgriPath studies and experiments provide country specific knowledge of farmers’ behaviors, and the involvement of women in DAS. Learnings from the AgriPath project have been applied to develop an evidence-based toolkit to accelerate uptake of research findings by DAS implementing organizations. Learn more about Agripath and its research.




What is the toolkit for DAS implementers?

A resource designed to equip DAS stakeholders—particularly those seeking to scale smartphone-based DAS applications-- with practical tools to strengthen extension agent networks and deliver scalable, sustainable digital advisory services for smallholder farmers, especially women. The toolkit is grounded in research from the AgriPath project, which evaluated different models of delivering DAS to smallholder farmers.  

What do we mean by “Digital” in DAS?

For this Toolkit, Digital when used in reference to Digital Advisory Services (DAS) refers to smartphone-based mobile applications (App) that provide access to agricultural advisory and extension information.  While the tools and recommendations included in this toolkit are relevant for improving a wide range of digital solutions, options such as USSD, SMS, IVR, and multi-media channels such as video and radio are out of our scope.




Who is this Toolkit for?

The toolkit is relevant to organizations seeking to scale the use of smartphone-based DAS applications among smallholder farmers, especially among women farmers, with a special focus on leveraging community-based and/or extension agent networks as intermediaries. In this toolkit, they are referred to as DASA – Digital Advisory Service Agents. Read more about the special focus on DASA.
Development community and funders will gain a deeper understanding of the vital role extension or community-based agents (or DASA) play in enabling digital adoption, and the conditions needed to strengthen these networks. These insights will empower funders to prioritize agent networks in their program designs to increase the scale and sustainability of DAS.
Private sector DAS stakeholders will apply the tools to select effective DAS delivery models, improve their own product design, expand gender inclusion, and most importantly to refine their business models for improved sustainability and increased return on investment in DAS.
Public sector DAS stakeholders will apply the tools to call attention to the various interventions and policy changes that are needed to create an enabling environment for increased adoption of DAS among smallholder farmers.




How to use this toolkit

Users of this toolkit will be at different stages of designing and developing DAS solutions. Whether you are starting your DAS development process, or are scaling an existing DAS solution, the toolkit will provide insights and evidence to enhance adoption, scale and sustainability of your DAS platform by leveraging agent networks.
For DAS implementers who are starting their design and development process, we recommend that you first read “Why Digital Advisory Services Agents?” and then complete all other sections of the toolkit in order.
For DAS implementers who are looking for specific tools to guide the improvement of existing DAS solutions, you can jump to the sections that are most relevant to your specific need.

However, you will find great value in learning from the AgriPath experience and research findings, and we recommend that you look at all the tools provided.

How the toolkit is organized

1. Why Digital Advisory Services Agents (DASA)?

This paper develops the rationale for scaling smartphone-based DAS applications through DASA.  

Scaling Digital Agricultural Advisory Services: Making the Case for Digital Advisory ServiceAgents (DASA)

2. Understanding Your Digital Ecosystem

The Understanding Your Digital Ecosystem tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to the barriers and opportunities for scaling smartphone-based DAS applications, based on specific country contexts and localized mobile phone specifications.

Introduction: Understanding Your Digital Ecosystem
Conduct Ecosystem Desk Research
Conduct National-level Mobile Connectivity Desk Research
Mobile Phone Specifications

3. Identifying Existing Agent Networks

The Identifying Existing Agent Networks tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to possible existing agent networks and how to interview agent network organizations for best-fit partnerships for scaling smartphone-based DAS applications.

Introduction: Identifying Existing Agent Networks
Interview Guide for Landscaping Possible Agent Networks

4. Recruiting and Incentivizing DASA

The Recruiting and Incentivizing DASA tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to the important factors for recruiting DASA, particularly women DASA, and developing effective professional agreements with them.

Introduction: Recruiting and Incentivizing DASA
DASA Persona Profile
Female DASA Recruitment Journey Worksheet
Household/Community Dialogue to Support Female DASA Recruitment
DASA Position Description
DASA Interview Guide
DASA Position Agreement
DASA Code of Conduct

5. Training DASA

The Training DASA tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to resources for identifying training topics and training DASA in content needed to be effective organizers, communicators, and community resources.  

Introduction: Training DASA
Learning Needs and Resources Assessments
DASA and Farmer Training Safeguarding Assessment
Training Planning Guide
DASA Training Content Inventory

6. Monitoring DASA Performance

The Monitoring DASA Performance tools will introduce DAS stakeholders to a menu of quantitative and qualitative indicators needed to monitor and evaluate DASA performance.

Introduction: Monitoring DASA
Key Performance Indicator Template for Monitoring DASA
Supervisor Assessment of DASA Performance
Farmer Assessment of DASA Performance