OpenTEAM In-Depth – Going the last mile in Malawi: digital transformation of soil knowledge and agronomic advice

Presenters:
Sieg Snapp, Professor, Soils and Cropping Systems Ecologist, Michigan State University and Associate Director of the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations
Regis Chikowo, Assistant Professor, Agricultural Systems, Michigan State University and Associate Professor, University of Zimbabwe
Dan TerAvest, Co-Founder, Our-Sci (creator of Survey Stack)

About the talk:
Direct from the field comes an example of empowerment: farmers and extension educators in Malawi are working with the Michigan State University Africa RISING team and Our-Sci, supported by OpenTeam. We are predicting off-line soil carbon on over a thousand fields. Women and men farmers are gaining first-hand information and agronomic advice about field soil carbon status, where to apply fertilizer, and how to improve soil health. Sustainable soil management is being transformed. This experience with human-centered design and Our-Sci generated handheld digital technologies offer novel opportunities for future carbon offset investments in the form of soil carbon maps for Malawi that reflect localized knowledge and farming practices.