Technology and Digital Innovations
Technology and Digital Innovations
Heifer International Nepal, in partnership with Pathway Technologies and SEWA-Nepal, is driving the development of GeoKrishi SEWA (GKS), a digital platform that digitizes farm advisory and cooperative business processes. Tailored for farmers, cooperative staff, and extension workers, GKS improves productivity, streamlines operations, and strengthens market linkages through mobile and web-based applications. Piloted in two western Nepal cooperatives; Milansar and Prativa Social Entrepreneur Women’s Cooperatives, the platform is set to expand to 300 cooperatives by 2027.
Supported under Heifer’s Innovation in Agriculture and Livestock Value Chain (IALVC) Project, GKS operates on a revenue-sharing model among Pathway, SEWA-Nepal,and the cooperatives, ensuring sustainability beyond Heifer’s support. The platform was officially launched on the Play Store on December 16, 2024, embodying a scalable, locally led approach to transforming agriculture and empowering smallholder farmers.
Additionally, the Digital Mentoring and Continuing Education (DMCE) platform and the Virtual Collection Center (VCC) goat marketing tool are enhancing collective goat marketing through cooperatives. These tools have strengthened relationships between community animal health workers and production material providers while increasing farmers’ income from goat sales through cooperative marketing and the use of appropriate technology.
The project aims to engage 400 Community Animal Health Workers, 50,000 farming families, and 116 Social Entrepreneur Women’s Cooperatives. By increasing the volume of goat sales and boosting revenue for both individual farmers and cooperatives, it ensures long-term benefits. The VCC app has been fully launched in approximately 50 cooperatives, further supporting the initiative’s goals.
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