Justdiggit scales training to 25,000+ farmers to regreen Africa
Justdiggit is on a mission to help communities regreen degraded land across Africa. With an estimated 1.1 billion hectares of land in need of restoration, scaling regenerative knowledge in Africa is urgent. But in-person field programs can only reach so many communities at a time. To extend its impact, Justdiggit needed a way to deliver training across languages, regions, and cultural contexts.
We spoke with Carl Lens, Head of Digital Regreening at Justdiggit, about how Synthesia helped the team localize training quickly and reach more than 25,000 farmers in just over a year.
Industry Context
Across East Africa, degraded soil and changing rainfall patterns threaten crop yields and food security. Restoring land takes time — it can take up to 1,000 years for just one inch of topsoil to form. At the same time, heavy rains will wash away the fertile top soil instantly when the earth is bare.
Justdiggit works directly with farmers and pastoralists to apply practical techniques such as digging semi-circular bunds to capture rainwater and reduce erosion.
The technique is simple. Scaling it is not.
As smartphone access increases across Sub-Saharan Africa, digital training offers a practical way to extend regenerative knowledge — even in low-connectivity environments.
The Challenge
For years, Justdiggit relied on in-person field training. Trainers visited communities, demonstrated techniques, and supported adoption over time.
That work builds trust. But it doesn’t scale easily.
Scaling beyond physical presence
Trainers can only deliver one session at a time. Ongoing reinforcement requires repeated visits. To move from tens of thousands of farmers toward millions, Justdiggit needed a digital layer that could extend its reach while supporting its field teams.
“Trainers can only do so much in-person. We knew we needed a much more scalable way of working.” — Carl Lens
Adapting across regions and languages
Justdiggit first launched in Tanzania, then expanded into Kenya. While both countries use Swahili, regional phrasing and terminology differ. Filming new versions for every adjustment — sometimes down to a single word — would slow expansion and increase costs.
“We moved into Kenya, and even within Swahili we needed to make language changes.” — Carl Lens
The Solution
From the first version of its digital training program, Justdiggit used Synthesia to deliver regenerative techniques at scale.
Instead of filming new presenters for every region, the team:
- Scripts each technique in English
- Generates presenter-led training in Synthesia
- Translates into Swahili
- Updates instantly when language evolves
“Sometimes, to localize a video, the change is just a single word. With Synthesia, we edit the script and generate a new version in minutes.” — Carl Lens
No reshoots. No production delays. Just flexible, scalable training.
Field-tested and trusted
When Justdiggit tested the Synthesia Avatar within communities, the team didn’t assume acceptance. Communities were told clearly that the presenter was AI-generated. And still, they preferred it.
“We tested the Avatar in the field. People knew it was AI — and they still preferred it.” — Carl Lens
For Justdiggit, that response was powerful. It showed openness to new technology and reinforced that what mattered most was receiving clear, practical guidance they could use immediately. The training worked — and it was embraced.
The Results
With Synthesia, Justdiggit expanded its training reach without slowing down operations.
25,000+ farmers reached in just over one year: within a little over a year, digital training helped Justdiggit reach more than 25,000 farmers — extending education beyond physical sessions and enabling continued learning after trainers leave.
Rapid expansion into Kenya: as Justdiggit expanded geographically, the team updated Swahili-language training quickly — without re-recording. This agility allowed expansion into new regions without rebuilding content from scratch.
“Now we can update the videos without re-recording.” — Carl Lens
Built for linguistic diversity: across priority regions, there are hundreds of active local languages. Traditional filming would require exponential effort to adapt content for each one.
Synthesia created a scalable workflow for localization — allowing Justdiggit to prepare for broader growth across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Representation at scale: the team is developing a custom Avatar modeled after a Maasai community member to strengthen local relevance in specific regions. This gives Justdiggit the ability to reflect the communities they serve — while keeping production scalable.
“We want an Avatar that looks like the people we’re working with. It’s more trustworthy, and it’s more relevant.” — Carl Lens
What’s Next
Justdiggit is exploring digital advisors and interactive video agents to provide more personalized guidance. But for Carl and Justdiggit, AI-enabled training isn't about replacing human connection, it's about extending it.
"With Synthesia's help we can build the infrastructure for regenerative knowledge to travel." — Carl Lens, Head of Digital Regreening
And in just over one year, that approach has already reached more than 25,000 farmers.
More customer stories
