Strengthening Bilim platform and usage (bilim.network)

Paola Fava

Funding Area: Critical shared infrastructure / Infraestructura compartida critica

Problem Statement: The proposed work would address several needs of the Bilim platform, a co-designed tool for agroecology for women and youth of Schola Campesina network in Central Asia and East Europe, allowing NGOs and farmers to exchange knowledge and experiences about agroecology. Particularly: Digital divide: technical limitations hindering user subscriptions and active participation of the Bilim community of practices. Time constraints: some users face difficulties in dedicating time to familiarize with the platform and engage regularly also due to their fieldwork commitments. Additionally, the recent establishment of the Network may result in fewer projects and occasions for engagement. Problems with the forum structure: some users find the forum structure outdated and not very user-friendly, highlighting the need for improvements in this area. Preference for mobile Apps: users express a preference for mobile apps to enhance access to the platform. While some are aware of the app's availability, others are not, indicating the desire for improved communication about this option. Users generally want to interact on the forum and access the file archive and documentation using both computers and mobile devices. Language limitations: need for more translations, particularly in languages like Farsi, Kurdish and Kazakh to cater to a diverse audience effectively. New joiners: many new joiners lack proper training on the platform, necessitating better onboarding procedures and support

Proposed Activities: Critical shared infrastructure A.1. Improving the use of the Bilim platform to make it more user-friendly Development of new features using an iterative incremental approach (one feature at a time through cycles of development-testing-release). Specific activities will be selected and prioritized from the list of suggestions provided by the community and in relation to the available budget. However the selection could include: A.1.1 Revision and improvement of the current platform home/landing page Adding more information and therefore increasing the user experience and navigability. A.1.2. Introducing a multilingual search Improving a search feature will facilitate content discovery in different languages, catering to a diverse user base. Additional languages will also be included. A.1.3. Improving the platform's subscription process Improving the current sign up process by requesting the user to include additional information (organization, name etc;). SSO features may also be implemented. A.1.4. Improving video sharing on the platform by adding the possibility of uploading videos through a private Youtube channel shared with the community. A.2 Maintenance of software and its updates In support of the infrastructural activities we also planning to conduct activities on capacity building: A.3. Updating platform documentation to facilitate the smooth onboarding of new contributors and users. This documentation will cover all aspects of platform usage, features, and guidelines. A.4. Creating and sharing about10 mini-video tutorials via a YouTube private channel to enhance user understanding and interaction with the platform features. The tutorials will demonstrate various functionalities, including explanation about downloading the app (available for Android and iOS), thus improving accessibility for users. A.5 Implementation of 5 workshops, 4 online and 1 face to face seminar aiming at training users on effectively implementing and utilizing the new version of the platform, providing hands-on experience and guidance to ensure proficient use of the platform's features. Rough Timeline The proposed activities will be carried out over the course of 12 months, from 1st November 2023 to 31 October 2024, with the following rough timeline: A.1 and A.2: from November 2023 till August 2024 (10 months) A.3, A.4 (November 2023 - March 2024) A.5 ongoing throughout the project duration, as meetings of the community are spreadout through the year (including a live meeting in Q2 or Q3 of 2024) Expertise and resources required Technical expert proficient in platform development/Technical expert in video creation, Trainer and facilitator with expertise on users’ training to conduct workshops (online and in presence), Coordinator for the management and administration of the project and its activities.

Openness: The BILIM platform is designed as an open platform accessible to a broad community. It embraces open-source principles, allowing code accessibility and contributions from the community involved, promoting collaboration and continuous improvement. It is a tool made for and with Bilim community, that has also the following features: being independent (open source), being under the Bilim Community Ownership/control, being a protected space for the Bilim Community Engaging a broader community (the Bilim Network) is a key aspect of the proposed work. The project team actively involves the Bilim Network community and relevant stakeholders throughout the development process. To achieve transparency, the project plans to openly share project outputs. All documentation and resources related to the project will be publicly accessible, promoting knowledge exchange and collaboration. The team will use public platforms to host code repositories, project documentation, and video tutorials, allowing interested parties to review, contribute, and utilize these resources. Regular updates on project progress, milestones, and outcomes will be shared through various communication channels such as blog posts, newsletters, and social media. Transparent communication will keep the community informed and engaged throughout the project's duration. Overall, the proposed work exemplifies a commitment to openness, inclusive community engagement, and transparent sharing of project outputs.

Challenges: The challenges that we anticipated in carrying out this work are the following: Improving the platform's infrastructure, including feature development, may present technical challenges. Addressing these complexities will require a skilled and dedicated technical team. Encouraging users to adopt the platform and engage actively can be challenging, especially for those unfamiliar with forums and technology. Effective onboarding and training strategies will be crucial to overcome this hurdle. Providing additional translations in required languages and ensuring inclusivity will require dedicated efforts and availability of mother tongue users. Adequate funding and resources will be essential for the successful execution of the proposed activities. Securing sustainable funding to support ongoing development, training, and infrastructure maintenance will be critical. Encouraging diverse stakeholders within farmers organizations, part of the Bilim Network, to actively participate in co-designing the platform's functionalities may require overcoming barriers like time constraints and technological proficiency and defining priorities. Gathering and integrating user feedback into the iterative development process can be challenging. Establishing a feedback loop and ensuring user insights are acted upon will be vital. Despite these challenges, addressing them with a user-centered and collaborative approach will strengthen the project outcomes.

Neglectedness: The initial work on the Bilim platform was carried out by Jengalab in collaboration with Schola Campesina and funded by FAO within the Letter of Agreement "Knowledge sharing among farmers organizations in the targeted countries strengthened," and started in September 2021 and was completed in November 2022. . The overall objective of the project was to develop a multi-language application able to exchange information and share knowledge among farmers and members of the Community of Practice of Agroecology in the East European and Central Asian regions. The new project represents a second phase of the development of the Bilim platform and the fund would help to enhance the work done during the first phase as well as strenghtening the collaboration of the community of practice members and therefore fostering the usage of the Bilim forum platform. We are also continuously looking for other sources of funding to support the project.

Success: Success for the proposed work would be measured through various key indicators: Increased user engagement and active participation on the platform would demonstrate its relevance and usefulness, through user registrations, frequency of interactions, and content contributions would gauge user adoption. Regular feedback through short surveys or polls from users indicating satisfaction with the platform's features and functionalities would be crucial. Positive feedback and high satisfaction scores would validate the platform's effectiveness in meeting user needs.. The ease of onboarding for new contributors and users, who will access video tutorials and documentation The involvement and co-design contributions from users during the remote and live sessions, would showcase the platform's inclusivity and its ability to accommodate diverse perspectives. The successful implementation of new features through iterative development cycles would signify the platform's adaptability to evolving user needs and preferences. The availability of additional translations as well as the search feature in multiple languages. An analysis would suggest possible improved data protection measures that would increase user confidence in the platform's privacy and security standards.

Total Budget: 25000 US$

Affiliations: Schola Campesina is an international agroecology school, based in Italy. The goal is to develop and share knowledge on agroecology and specifically on the global governance of food and agriculture (international processes that influence policies at all levels, having an important impact on small-scale food producers). Schola Campesina facilitates the sharing of knowledge amongst food producers’ organizations and other allies (academia, activists) on global governance processes in order to improve their participation within the global spaces; and facilitate the use of documents (policy recommendations, guidelines, etc.) at local level in view of advancing the food sovereignty agenda in the world. Jengalab and Schola Campesina collaborated to create the Bilim platform with the BILIM Community of practices from Eastern Europe and Central Asia - which reunites grassroots movements, organizations and groups, such as - peasants and small scale farmers, indigenous peoples, NGOs, academics, women and youth and all others who are active in building Agroecology. The members of this community are practicing and/or promoting Agroecology on the ground, protecting biodiversity and cultural heritage, and putting smallholders' knowledge at the center of food systems. Jengalab, Schola Campesina and the Bilim community of practices have been working very closely for the past two years and this aspect is a key element to the implementation of the future enhancements proposed in this document.

LMIE Carveout: Yes, our project fits within the LMIE carveout category. The majority of the following aspects related to our project align with LMIEs: Working location: Jengalab is located in Italy but the team works from different countries. We actively operate from Africa, Asia and Europe to implement the projects. Project's community location: the primary location of our project's community, including users and contributors is also within LMIEs. We aim to engage and serve communities in these regions to foster meaningful impact and inclusivity.

Team Skills: JengaLab (jengalab.org) is a Non-profit organization, established in 2020, focusing on promoting innovative initiatives involving the use of technological and digital solutions that can boost the social wellbeing of local communities and support the achievement of the SDGs. Jengalab is made up of a Team of Technology for Development professionals, with a combined experience of more than 30 years, specialized in co-design, management and evaluation of technology for development projects in emerging regions, facilitation of innovation and design processes, supporting leadership development and designing and facilitating workshops. JengaLab is operating in a wide range of sectors such as agriculture, circular economy and climate change with specific focus on promoting innovation, supporting youth entrepreneurship and strengthening local startup ecosystems in emerging economies. Jengalab has supported the European Union, United Nations Organizations and Philanthropic foundations in Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe to perform country assessment to identify most promising opportunities for digital innovation; to deliver human-centered design and innovation workshops, as well as conducting interactive trainings and innovation challenges with various stakeholders; to support on developing e-agriculture and digital strategies and; to scale and build digital solutions in development projects.

Submission Number: 108