BY NOXOLO DLAMINI
PIGGS PEAK– A total of 91 farmer cluster leads and extension officers have received training in digital project monitoring under the Smallholder Agricultural Productivity Enhancement and Marketing Project (SAPEMP), equipping them with skills to digitally capture, manage and report agricultural information from the field across all four regions in the country.
The training brought together 56 farmer cluster leads and 35 extension officers, representing 37 farmer clusters across 40 project sites, as part of efforts to strengthen how agricultural activities and results are monitored under the project.
The participants were trained on practical ways of using digital tools to collect and manage information, moving away from traditional paper-based record keeping.
Among the tools introduced during the training were farmer diaries, the SAPEMP digital cluster tool and the EWADE/SAPEMP information system.
The digital system is expected to make it easier for those working with farmers to capture information from the field, monitor progress and report on services and results.
With 3,000 farmers already profiled, the system is being developed to support information management for SAPEMP’s 19,600 targeted beneficiaries, including 14,100 farmers.
The training therefore brings together the people who work directly with farmer clusters and those responsible for supporting farmers through extension services, giving them a common digital approach to recording agricultural information.
For farmer cluster leads, the shift to digital tools provides a way of keeping more organised records of activities within their clusters, while extension officers can use the system to support the collection and reporting of information from project sites.
The move towards digital monitoring forms part of SAPEMP’s broader effort to strengthen the management of agricultural information and improve the tracking of project activities across its beneficiary communities.
As more farmers are profiled, the digital system will provide a growing pool of information that can be used to monitor the implementation of SAPEMP activities and the services reaching farmers in the field.
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(Courtesy Pic)
