CIMMYT- CSISA-MEA eAwareness

The project, conducted in partnership with CIMMYT (CSISA–MEA) from March to August 2024, aimed to raise awareness among rural farmers about the benefits of agricultural mechanization, highlighting its potential to reduce labor and costs. As more farmers adopt digital devices, the initiative leveraged this trend to share information on accessing machines and services from Machine Service Providers (MSPs). To reach rural communities effectively, CSISA–MEA partnered with Carnival Internet, a leading ISP with an extensive rural footprint through ithis WiFi Haat network. Through the dissemination of promotional videos and user data collection, the project engaged a broad audience. In its pilot phase, content was delivered via 150 WiFi Haat spots in Jhenaidah, Kustia, and Cox’s Bazar, reaching 10,862 users with free internet and 3,500 users without. The initiative demonstrated the power of rural digital connectivity in delivering vital agricultural information and promoting mechanization awareness among farmers.

Revenue and Sustainability

While financials are confidential, the business model is inherently sustainable and revenue-generating:

Syngenta Bangladesh – Agro Engagement Campaign

Syngenta Bangladesh, in collaboration with Dotlines Bangladesh Limited, launched a series of new campaigns to enhance its connection with farmers and express gratitude for their loyalty through SMS and lucky draw methods. In these programs, farmers who bought Syngenta products got scratch cards with special codes. They could send these codes by SMS to win mobile phone credit right away or have a chance to win prizes like televisions, freezers, motorbikes, and other digital gifts. With tens of thousands of farmers joining from all over Bangladesh, the campaigns brought excitement to rural areas and ensured fairness by using automatic winner selection and digital reports. Dotlines built and managed the whole system, including the app, code creation, service connections, dashboards, and automatic reports, making sure everything ran smoothly. By giving valuable rewards and using technology, Syngenta built more trust with its farmers and set a new standard for agricultural marketing, showing how digital tools can help reach rural communities and make a big difference.