Linking local strength with digital innovation.
Digital Green wants to empower smallholder farmers and their communities through digital solutions. In Ethiopia, their approach elevates locally available agricultural advisory services by integrating technology-led innovations such as video-based trainings and further services.
Approach
The project leverages digital tools and local structures to support coffee growing smallholder farmers to increase their long-term incomes through various economic activities such as:
- Video-based technical trainings on coffee and maize by government agricultural extension officers
- Access to agricultural inputs and affordable loans for their purchase
- Income diversification and access to finance through honey producer and women self-help groups (WSHG)
The project operates across four coffee-producing woredas: Seka Chokorsa, Limu Kosa, Mana, and Shebe Sombo.
The project aims for the following outcomes:
- 15% increase in household income by 2027
- 10% increase in average coffee yield per hectare
- 18% increase in average maize yield per hectare
EVALUATION & LEARNING
The project is externally evaluated by the International Food Policy and Research Institute (IFPRI) via a Randomized Control Trial.
Within four treatment arms the evaluation intends to assess the causal impact of the three key components of the project (i.e., digital extension, input credit, and WSHGs) and their combination on the adoption of good agricultural practice, yield, household income, and other relevant outcomes.
Projected Return – Model Explanation
The forecast SROI of 7.7 (range: 4.7 – 8.7) is based on assumptions derived from the project baseline and external sources — no endline data is yet available.
The project tests four treatment arms, with projected income gains ranging from €324 per household (coffee extension only) to €459 where Women Self-Help Groups add an additional income layer — a combination not previously tested and not yet backed by empirical data from comparable programs.
The yield benefit of stumping and future coffee price development are the two most influential assumptions — both subject to considerable uncertainty at this stage.
We expect the model will require substantial downward revision once midline results from the RCT become available in Q3 2026.
All model figures represent present value over 10 years, discounted at 10%, deflated to 2021 EUR.
Read more about our SROI methodology here.