Nidhi Bhasin, the CEO of Digital Green Trust, is at the forefront of leveraging technology to empower small and marginal farmers across India and Africa. Digital Green Trust, a non-profit organization, focuses on utilizing technology to improve the productivity, incomes, and climate resilience of these farmers. A key innovation by Digital Green is an AI-powered assistant designed to aid farmers in their daily agricultural practices and help agriculture extension workers.
Bhasin's work addresses critical gaps in the agricultural sector, where information and advisory services often fail to reach farmers in a timely, relevant, and accessible manner. Traditional methods of disseminating agricultural information, such as television programs like Krishi Darshan, have limitations in terms of language, relevance, and timeliness. Digital Green's initial approach involved creating easy-to-digest videos for farmers, addressing their specific questions and concerns regarding cropping patterns, yields, pesticide and fertilizer use, and government subsidies.
The evolution of technology has significantly impacted Digital Green's strategies. While the initial video-based approach was effective, the rise of mobile technology and AI has opened up new possibilities. The organization has developed an Android app called Farmer.Chat, which utilizes AI to enhance its impact. This app provides farmers with access to advisories in multiple Indian and African languages.
According to Bhasin, AI provides a level of scalability that was previously unimaginable, enabling Digital Green to operate across diverse geographical locations at a fraction of the cost. Furthermore, the accuracy of AI-driven solutions improves with increased data input. The traditional model of engaging farmers through agricultural extension workers costs approximately $35 per farmer. Digital Green's video-based advisory model reduced this cost to $3.50, and with the advent of mobile applications and GenAI, the organization aims to further decrease it to just 35 cents by 2030.
Digital Green collaborates with various state governments in India, with agreements in place with around 12 states. Recent efforts in states like Bihar have seen a significant increase in application users, with farmers actively engaging and posing an average of 9-11 queries. The organization's global reach extends to approximately seven million active users, and it aims to add another 5.5 million farmers within the next three years.
The AI-powered assistant helps agriculture extension workers by providing them with digital tools to collect and analyze data, report findings, and communicate effectively with farmers. This is particularly important as many extension workers are often overworked and lack the necessary resources to maximize their impact.
Digital Green's AI-driven initiatives include a custom AI chatbot, Farmer.Chat, designed for agricultural extension. Farmer.Chat uses Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) to integrate Digital Green's extensive library of agricultural information with data from government partners, including training video transcripts, call center logs, and crop research factsheets. To ensure accuracy, India's Ministry of Agriculture validates all documents in the knowledge base.
Bhasin's leadership at Digital Green Trust is characterized by a commitment to leveraging technology for social good. With over 25 years of experience in social development, she previously served as CEO of the Nasscom Foundation, where she championed technology to bridge the digital divide in underserved communities. Her vision for Digital Green is to scale its impact by bringing together government, philanthropic organizations, and corporations at the intersection of technology, gender, climate, and sustainability.
