Overview
This project aimed to engage start-ups, established agricultural businesses, research, and government stakeholders to test different models of scaling the implementation and creating a financially viable supply and service provision around Virtual Irrigation Academy (VIA) water monitoring tools.
The project sought to address the overarching research question: How can water and solute monitoring equipment be sustainably deployed into the irrigated farming sector in Pakistan?
The research demonstrated that simple wholesale distribution models were ineffective. Instead, demand for VIA products was linked to the ability of organisations to deliver peripheral support, training, and advisory services. Once this adoption barrier was overcome, farmers saw financial benefits in using the tools. IWMI documented cost savings for 45 farmers, with notable crop results being 10% to 16% for cotton, 16% to 20% for wheat, and 27% for maize. The VIA products provided a positive cost-to-benefit outcome for over 70% of locations. A user decision matrix was developed to assist organisations and customers in determining the best-fit product and service solutions for VIA products.
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