PHITO: Platform for helping small and medium farmers to incorporate digital technology for equal opportunities

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Digital technologies increasingly play a key role in agriculture, carrying great potential for pursuing United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #2 and #12 by offering smart solutions to boost both the productivity and sustainability of food production. By providing farmers with a palette of insights in soil, hydrology, climate and crops, digital data allows targeted agricultural management leading to more yield and less waste; which is ever-more important for food security in the face of pandemics, conflicts, water supply, and climate change. The role of these ongoing technological innovations in agricultural decision-making is reshaping the horizon of agriculture to such an extent that it is considered the Fourth Agricultural revolution. Key technologies behind this new paradigm are recent advances in earth observation, real-time processing and storage of big data, and the digital connectivity of individuals. Large farmers are taking up the opportunities offered by this data revolution, while small and medium farmers (SMFs) lag behind, leading to a growing digital divide. To help SMFs to bridge the digital divide, Cambisol and SLM-WUR, together with other 18 partners, initiated PHITO (Platform for Helping small and medium farmers to Incorporate digital Technology for equal Opportunities) Project.

PHITO introduces a ground-breaking digital tool specifically for small and medium farmers (SMFs) that are currently unable to benefit from the digital innovation increasingly adopted by larger producers. The platform connects data and people through a low-barrier app with two main purposes: (1) offering free data-driven farm advice on soil, water and crops tailored to SMFs (global element), and (2) improving synergic collaboration between farmers, consumers, and service providers while strengthening the local Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS1) (local element). PHITO distinguishes itself from previous initiatives as a key example of frugal innovation2, by downscaling the complexity of digital farming and making smart use of existing open geo-databases (through public domain data harvesting), and embedding this in the various local food systems and networks. Through co-creation together with SMFs and numerous local farmer representatives, PHITO will help to bridge the digital divide by providing better access to information and local networking, helping SMFs to improve their decision-making processes and consequently their economic and environmental performances.