Designing User-Centered Decision Support Tools for

Agriculture
Fertilizer Optimization Tool For Fertilizer Use By Smallholder Farmers In Africa

H. Mibei, H. Rware 20th September 2019, CODATA 2019 Beijing

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE
 User-Centered design

UCD is a process that involves the users of a product throughout its

lifecycle, from planning through post-release assessment.

● In UCD, all “development proceeds with the user as the center of focus”
-Jeffrey Rubin (Author-Handbook of Usability Testing)

● “User-Centered Design (UCD) is a user interface design process that

focuses on usability goals, user characteristics, environment, tasks, and
workflow in the design of an interface. The UCD process is an iterative
process, where design and evaluation steps are built in from the first stage
of projects through implementation”
-Shawn Lawton Henry (Author- Accessibility in UCD process)

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Why User-Centered design

UCD seeks to answer questions about users and their tasks and goals, then
use the findings to drive development and designs

● Uses data, research, and interviews with the users to truly and deeply
understand them.
● Design with the user in mind, take their needs, wants, problems, and
preferences create value
● Easy-to use products
● Satisfy users/customers
● Decrease expenditures on technical support and training
● Advertise ease-of-user successes
● Ultimately increase market share

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 UCD Process (Design-Build-Test-Learn)
UCD is a process, and the process is iterative
Essential activities in a user-centered
design project;
● Requirements gathering:
Understanding and specifying
the context of use
● Requirements specification:
Specifying the user and
organizational requirements
● Design: Producing designs and
prototypes
● Evaluation: Carrying out user-
based assessment of the
product

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Decision Support Tools (DST)

The right agricultural Decision Support Tools/Systems

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Soils in SS Africa
In sub-Saharan Africa an estimated 180 million people are affected by Land
degradation; long-term overuse of soil, low/unpredictable rainfall are prime
reasons for poor food production

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 The Fertilizer Optimization Tool (FOT)
A decision support tool that enables farmers to maximize net returns from their
investment in fertilizer use while reducing risks compared with conventional
fertilizer recommendations

● Comprises of the Optimizer tool, which works along two other complementary tools: nutrient
substitution, and fertilizer calibration

● Uses linear programming concepts using MS Excel with the Solver add-in

● Extension workers feed in data on crops, acreage, projected price of crop at the harvest, cost of
fertilizer and the amount to be invested by the farmer on fertilizer that season

● The output includes the recommendations for fertilizers to be applied to each crop, the expected
mean effect on yield, net returns for each crop, and the expected total net returns

● The nutrient substitution table helps adjust fertilizer quantities generated by the Optimizer tool.

● Fertilizer calibration tool is used to convert the recommended fertilizer quantities (expressed as
kg of fertilizer per acre or hectare of land), to a more farmer-friendly measure

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Why Optimize fertilizer use

Grain yield, Mg ha-1

● Maximize yield per hectare 4

● Maximize profit per hectare 3

● Maximize returns per small 2
investment
1
● Maintain or improve soil
fertility 0
-10 10 30 50 70 90 110 130 150
● Environmental protection
N rate, kg ha-1

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 FOT Versions

3 versions developed to offer options

● Excel version-runs on a computer and uses Excel
● Paper based version considers 3 levels of financial
abilities
● Mobile phone app version (available free of charge
from the Google Play Store)

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 More Data = Better Decisions?

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 How FOT was developed

Developed for 13 countries in Africa using legacy data from published scientific
papers and open access journals
● Legacy data from previous research-gathered and used 10,162 legacy data points from open
access journals
● 606 OFRA field trials were implemented by project principal investigators in the 13 targeted
countries in Africa
● Over 5000 Nutrient response functions were developed from the legacy and trial data
● Over 70 FOTs were developed using the Nutrient response functions
● 67 agroecological zones were covered by the FOTs
● 11 crops - maize, sorghum, pearl & finger millet, rice, cassava, beans, groundnuts, soybean,
pigeon pea and cowpea we incorporated
● Builds on the linear programming concepts developed by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
● An online data base was developed for all the trail and legacy data

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Mobile App Version: Applying User-
Centered Design
Affordable smartphones and declining mobile data plans are
the factors driven growth in mobile subscriptions in Africa

●BBSRC Global Challenges Research Fund, FOT was converted into a

mobile app to make it easier to use.
●Design stage: extension workers who are the users were given an
opportunity to give views on whether all the features were included
●Build Prototype: Incorporating users views
●User Testing: Testing it in the field with the farmers and give feedback
●Evaluation: User assessment
●The app incorporates the optimizer, integrated soil fertility
management (ISFM) and a calibration tool.
●Works offline and is freely available in the google play store for the
users to install in their android phones

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 FOT App version Roll out
● Country-specific stakeholder engagement plans so as to
effectively take fertilizer use optimization to technology uptake
pathways and finally to farmers

● Training farmer advisors on fertilizer use optimization: Over

8000 extension workers have already been empowered to use
the FOTs to advise farmers on how to maximize their profits
from investments in fertilizers

● Creating demand for fertilizer use optimization : Through’

awareness and training;

● Creating broad stakeholder support and securing adequate

human and financial resources

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Challenges
There are still challenges that are preventing the smooth application of the
FOT but, when farmers follow the recommendations they invariably see
positive results

● Moving away from blanket recommendations

● Getting farmers to apply the recommendations

● Farmers need to understand what the FOT is trying to do

● The need to keep investing in the tool

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 We would like to acknowledge the contributors and acknowledge the funding provided by AGRA

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 Thank you for the Sponsorship!

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE

 ‫شكرا جزيل‬merci शशुकक्रियय
zikomo
xie-xie obrigado
efharistó
ありがとう
thank
kiitos
urakoze
you
ke itumetse tak
gracias zikomo

dhanyawaad
asante
danke terima kasih

CABI is an international intergovernmental organisation, and we gratefully acknowledge

the core financial support from our member countries (and lead agencies) including:

Ministry of Agriculture and

Rural Affairs,
People’s Republic of China

KNOWLEDGE FOR LIFE