Client Ambition

According to the National Family Health Survey 2019-21 report, 54% women do not own a mobile phone while 75% have never used the internet. This exclusion particularly limits women entrepreneurs in accessing tools, skills and resources which otherwise can improve their businesses. For example, an EdelGive Foundation report states, 62% women entrepreneurs experience lack of market for their products and services as a majorchallenge in their expansion, and only 11% women entrepreneurs are aware of Government schemes related to their businesses.

Our client saw this as an impact opportunity and over the last two years, and especially post COVID-19 pandemic was testing ways to digitally upskill rural women entrepreneurs in their network.

Over the last eight years our client has developed a strong network of 75,000 women farmers and over 10,000 of them have emerged as agri and agri-allied entrepreneurs (WAEs). Hence, a well-designed digital upskilling program was particularly important for our client to empower WAEs with access to digital skills and tools which can create incremental impacts in their livelihoods.

With this objective, our client wanted to pilot a digital upskilling program that can test the underlying theory of change that digital upskilling can create better business outcomes for rural women agri and agri-allied entrepreneurs.

Our Solution

We conceptualised and co-designed with our client a 6-month pilot program involving 200 women agri and agri-allied entrepreneurs (WAEs), supported fundraising, and facilitated ground execution closely engaging with the implementation team.

Initially, we helped the client implementation team arrive at a selection criteria for the WAEs, and designed a selection survey to develop a basic profile of the 200 WAEs.

Next, we conducted a qualitative needs assessment study and a quantitative baseline survey to deepen our understanding on how can we design the program to deliver the intended impact. While a 2-membered team from ReW led the qualitative field research, we facilitated the quantitative data collection by designing the questionnaire and training a team of field enumerators from our client organization.

We supported our client in developing the digital upskilling training content for the WAEs by developing an initial outline of the modules, sharing inputs on the final training content, and regular review of the training delivery. During this phase of the program, we also conducted a mixed methodology research with remote qualitative research and a short quantitative feedback survey to generate insights on the training content and delivery.

Towards the end of the program, we led an Endline Assessment through qualitative field research and facilitated quantitative endline data collection through field enumerators. We analysed, synthesised and triangulated the data to develop an endline report to highlight the project performance and recommend actions for scaling up.

Results

Along the program, we developed three knowledge products – a needs assessment cum baseline study report, a training feedback report, and an endline assessment report which have supported program design, course correction and generate learnings on scaling up.

Today, our client has a digital upskilling program ready to be scaled up with 10,000 women agri and agri allied entrepreneurs.

Additionally, WAEs who have been part of the program are empowered with digital skills which can improve their business operations and performance.