Sustainable Digital Interventions for Finger Millet Farmers in India

Finding the right partners and places to ask questions is paramount to understanding the drivers of agricultural transformation. To facilitate opportunities for researchers and partners to develop trust and scope early-stage evaluation questions, DAISI funded small proposal development grants. These supported very preliminary, exploratory research activities, including researcher travel. With this proposal development grant, the researchers conducted a detailed survey on farmers’ crop cultivation practices among finger millet farmers in the Nashik and Raigad districts of Maharashtra, India, with the aim of exploring a suitable delivery mechanism, format, and content of digital extension services.

The study revealed that despite widespread interest for information on finger millet cultivation, less than half of farmers reported actually receiving timely or adequate advice, and the main sources of information remain other farmers and input dealers, with digital tools like mobile phones and television underutilized. The study also found that finger millet is largely grown for self-consumption on marginal lands with minimal inputs. Key challenges to receiving adequate information on this crop include limited access to accurate, research-based information, low digital literacy, and the low-return nature of finger millet, which discouraged investment in improved practices. The researchers are exploring further research on a comprehensive digital extension program that integrates finger millet cultivation guidance alongside information on other agricultural products.