Following are the project’s main achievements as the 18-month mark:
User-needs assessment
· A user-centred design approach was developed and adopted, which has been guiding the PHITO platform development through subsequent scrum sprints of co-creation with end-users, in adherence to the Principles of Digital Development.
· Needs of PHITO end-users were assessed through questionnaires and focus group discussions among 700 farmers across 8 food systems
Global geo-data harvesting
· Risks and environmental challenges to the food systems were identified through an extensive literature review. This involved a risk-ranking analysis, considering factors like impact on farmers, extent of potential damage, and frequency of adverse events; and a guide of the most relevant geodata-based indices for the food systems. This provides the PHITO platform with the capacity to help SMFs to address risks.
· A comprehensive, open-source global geo-database was developed, drawing on more than 100 sources and covering climate, hydrology, soil, land use, and agricultural resources. This database will form the basis for data and data-driven advisory offered by the PHITO platform to users.
· A set of guidelines was produced for each food system, which include a list of the most applicable geodata sources and datasets, the most appropriate indices, and a preliminary set of best practices to improve the system’s sustainability (Deliverable 3.1). This will guide platform design and the choice of functionalities offered. For example, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was selected as appropriate for inclusion in the ‘Roots’ beta version of the platform. Additional indices and data sources have been identified for inclusion in subsequent rounds of development.
App design and development
• A beta version of the PHITO platform was developed at the end of 2024. Available in English, Albanian, Hungarian, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Romanian and Papiamentu, the beta was tested by 250 farmers across the 8 food systems in early 2025. The beta’s functionalities are based on the user needs assessment, and draw on the work around global geo-data harvesting described above
