Leveraging Mobile Technology for Bridging Knowledge Gaps in Indonesian Agriculture: A Case Study on use of Infoline, Chatbot, and Known Number Surveys as part of Rice Crop Manager Indonesia Project

Knowledge gaps in rice farming brought about by the limited or lack of access to updated information on science-based farming methods and technologies compounds the challenges of low productivity and high production costs. This impedes the adoption of innovative and efficient solutions that could help address the difficulties in the agricultural sector. This is manifested by the variability in farming practices, even across neighboring fields, affecting the overall productivity and income from farming. There is an opportunity to address these issues through the innovative use of existing technologies and robust digital infrastructure. With 91% of Indonesian households owning a mobile phone, use of this digital technology can be harnessed to deliver real-time, relevant, and practical information directly to farmers. This will help bridge the knowledge gap, promote the adoption of sustainable farming practices, and ultimately increase productivity and profitability in the rice production sector. Through the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) Indonesia project, this study pilots three major activities to deliver information to farmers and collect feedback from them using mobile technology: Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Infoline, Chatbot, and Known Number IVR Surveys. The Infoline service utilizes a voice messaging campaign that sends out regular calls to farmers, providing on-demand key information in a vernacular language about science-based management practices to farmers at scale and promoting the use of accessible tools such as RCM. The Whatsapp Chatbot serves as an interactive 2-way tool for farmers to engage with content on demand. Lastly, the Known Number IVR Surveys are used to collect data and feedback via phone calls, thus facilitating continuous improvement of the advisory tool. By utilizing such technologies, this initiative aims to improve the delivery of information to farmers and help them with better decision making, as well as increase the adoption of environmentally sustainable practices, thus enhancing the income and productivity of rice farmers in Indonesia. The project demonstrates the potential of using this type of technology to directly reach the underserved communities such as women and youth to help bridge knowledge gaps in agriculture.