As part of the ongoing activities with WorldFish, Right Kind (RK) team members have been hosting farmers’ gatherings through local service providers (LSPs) identified and trained during the IDEA project, which was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These LSPs consist of input retailers with brick-and-mortar shops, nursery owners, and champion farmers.
The farmers selected for these gatherings have a very basic understanding of using smartphones and the internet. In these training sessions, the farmers receive more in-depth training on using the internet to their benefit; for instance, how they can browse Facebook and YouTube to learn about the latest aquaculture techniques and technologies. The training then progresses to informing the farmers about Right Haat’s digital platform, its advantages, and how to use the platform. Farmers get a practical demonstration on how they can post their aquaculture-related problems in the group and upload photos or videos for an accurate visual representation of their problem. The farmers are also taught about the comment function of Facebook so that they can engage with other farmers through their own posts or by commenting on posts made by other members of the group.
Although this is a step in the right direction toward digitizing the agricultural community of Bangladesh, the effort needs to be repeated over time to ensure that farmers have a firm grasp of using digital technologies for agriculture and aquaculture purposes.