United Kingdom—Needs Assessment Digital Tool Development

DAI’s Sustainable Business Group (SBG) was contracted by a leading U.K.-based retailer of premium foods to develop a digital needs assessment that could be used by their supply chain partners to inform on community needs. This was so that they could roll this approach out to their global network of partners, including exporters, importers, and commercial farms. This digital needs assessment was successfully trialed as a pilot across a series of commercial farms and outgrower schemes in Senegal and The Gambia. The assessment has been used to determine how best to allocate funds to improve livelihoods for the families of the farmworkers and their surrounding communities. The assessment is intended to be used in the countries where the client sources its fresh produce products. Using socio-economic development and evaluation best practices, SBG developed a needs assessment framework and survey that covered a variety of thematic areas including health, education, and economic empowerment. A digital app called DAI Collect was created, and animated e-learning materials were produced (in English and French) to empower farm staff (managers, human resources professionals, and worker representatives) to conduct the surveys themselves. SBG, in consort with DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration, designed a bespoke data analytics site that aggregated survey data in real time to give the client timely, accurate survey data and high-level analytical results that would direct the design and funding of future community development projects. Three core suppliers to the client in Senegal and The Gambia had their own sessions with the DAI team to help understand the data and use the dashboards that were customized to each of their suppliers.