The Challenge

Under the Trees Outside Forests in India (TOFI) Program, CIFOR-ICRAF identified a critical need to establish a standardized, transparent, and efficient system for the accreditation of agroforestry nurseries across India. Quality nursery stock is foundational to expanding tree cover outside forests — without accredited nurseries producing certified planting material, the entire value chain of sustainable agroforestry is compromised.

However, the accreditation process for agroforestry nurseries faced fundamental challenges:

• Manual, Paper-Based Processes: The existing nursery accreditation workflow relied on paper applications, physical document submissions, and manual review processes, resulting in long processing times and inconsistencies
• No Application Tracking: Nursery operators had no way to track the status of their accreditation applications, leading to frustration, follow-up overhead, and lack of transparency
• Fragmented Stakeholder Roles: Admins, assessors, and applicants each had distinct responsibilities in the accreditation process, but there was no unified system to coordinate their interactions
• Certificate Management Gap: There was no digital mechanism for generating, issuing, or managing accreditation certificates, requiring manual paperwork for each certification
• No Audit Trail: The absence of a digital system meant there was no comprehensive audit trail of accreditation decisions, assessment reports, or compliance records
• Reporting Limitations: Without a centralized database, generating reports on accreditation status, nursery compliance, and program coverage was difficult and time-consuming
• Multi-Device Access Requirements: Stakeholders needed access to the system from desktops, tablets, and smartphones, including in low-bandwidth rural environments
• Search & Discovery: There was no mechanism for interested parties to search for accredited nurseries by location, capacity, or accreditation status

Velocity’s Solution

Velocity Software Solutions designed, developed, and deployed a comprehensive web portal that digitized the entire end-to-end nursery accreditation process, from application submission through assessment, report generation, and certificate issuance, with role-based access for all stakeholders.

Scope of Work

1. Design and development of a user-friendly online nursery accreditation portal
2. Implementation of role-based access (Admin, Assessor, Applicant) with specific permissions
3. Automated workflows for form submissions, assessments, report generation, and certificate issuance
4. Robust database for maintaining all accreditation records
5. Notification system for application status, deadlines, and required actions
6. Testing across three phases and secure deployment
7. Admin panel development, knowledge transfer, and training
8. Three-month post-development maintenance

Key Features & Deliverables

• Online Application System: User-friendly interface where candidate nurseries can apply for accreditation, upload required documents, and submit applications digitally

• Application Tracking Dashboard: Real-time status tracking for nursery operators to monitor their application progress through each stage of the accreditation workflow

• Role-Based Access Control:

• Admin: Full system management, user management, accreditation oversight, report generation, and certificate issuance
• Assessors: Access to assigned applications, assessment form completion, field report upload, and recommendation submission

• Applicants: Application submission, document upload, status tracking, and certificate management

  
  

• Automated Accreditation Workflow:

• Application submission with document upload
• Admin assignment to assessors
• Assessor evaluation and report generation
• Admin review and decision
• Certificate generation and issuance

• Renewal and re-accreditation tracking

• Automated Notification System: Email and in-system notifications for application status changes, upcoming deadlines, required actions, assessment schedules, and certificate expiration alerts

• Advanced Search & Filter: Robust search capabilities to find specific nurseries, applications, or accreditation statuses by multiple parameters including location, nursery type, accreditation status, and date ranges

• Audit Trail & Compliance Logging: Comprehensive logging of all actions taken within the portal, providing a complete audit trail for compliance reporting and accountability

• Centralized Database: Robust database maintaining all accreditation records, nursery profiles, assessment reports, certificates, and historical data

• Report Generation: Automated generation of accreditation reports, compliance summaries, and program analytics

• Mobile & Low-Bandwidth Optimization: Responsive design functioning smoothly on desktops, tablets, and smartphones, optimized for low-bandwidth rural access

• Comprehensive Search Functionality: Site-wide search across all portal pages and content

• Admin Panel: Full-featured administrative panel for data population, tab management, and system configuration

  
  

Technology Stack

Component	Technology
Frontend	HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Responsive Framework
Backend	PHP / CMS-based with custom modules
Database	MySQL / PostgreSQL
Workflow Engine	Custom automated accreditation workflow
Notification	Email notifications, in-system alerts
Search	Advanced multi-parameter search engine
Reporting	PDF report generation, Excel export
Security	SSL, role-based access, data encryption, IT security compliance
Hosting	Secure cloud server
Mobile	Responsive design, low-bandwidth optimized

Implementation Approach

1. Requirement Gathering & Functional Specification (Days 1-20): Conducted detailed consultations with the TOFI team to document the complete nursery accreditation workflow, stakeholder roles, data requirements, and system functionality specifications.

   
   

2. Website Design, Wireframing & Feedback (Days 21-50): Developed comprehensive wireframes and visual designs for all user roles (Admin, Assessor, Applicant), including application forms, dashboards, assessment interfaces, and certificate management screens. Iterated through feedback cycles with the ICRAF team.

   
   

3. Database Design & Implementation (Days 51-70): Built the robust database architecture to support nursery profiles, accreditation records, assessment data, certificate management, audit trails, and reporting needs.

   
   

4. Security & Functionality Testing and Beta Version (Days 71-90): Conducted rigorous security testing ensuring compliance with national IT security standards, functional testing of all workflows, and beta testing with sample data and user scenarios.

   
   

5. Fully Functional Website Development (Days 91-120): Completed the fully functional portal with all features, automated workflows, notification systems, search capabilities, and reporting tools.

   
   

6. Content Updates & Post-Launch Refinement (Days 121-150): Addressed content updates, unforeseen requirements, and user feedback-driven refinements during the final month.

   
   

7. Demo & Handover: Delivered the complete source code and backup code, conducted comprehensive administrator training, and provided detailed website activity reporting capabilities.

   
   

8. Post-Launch Maintenance (3 Months): Provided ongoing maintenance, admin panel enhancements, bug fixes, and content support during the three-month post-development period.

   
   

Key Outcomes & Impact

• End-to-End Digital Accreditation: Transformed the nursery accreditation process from a manual, paper-based system to a fully digital, automated workflow, reducing processing time and improving consistency
• Transparent Stakeholder Experience: Nursery operators gained real-time visibility into their accreditation status, eliminating follow-up overhead and building trust in the process
• Quality Assurance for Agroforestry: By streamlining accreditation, the portal contributed to ensuring that only quality nurseries produce planting material for the TOFI program, directly impacting the success of tree planting initiatives
• Compliance & Accountability: Comprehensive audit trails provided full accountability for accreditation decisions, supporting compliance requirements and program governance
• Scalable Platform: The portal architecture supports expansion to additional accreditation types, geographic regions, and certification programs as the TOFI initiative grows
• USAID Program Delivery: Demonstrated concrete digital infrastructure development under the USAID-MoEFCC partnership, contributing to program reporting and impact documentation
• Efficiency Gains: Automated notifications, workflows, and report generation significantly reduced administrative overhead for ICRAF’s accreditation management team
• Data-Driven Program Management: The centralized database and reporting capabilities enabled ICRAF to monitor accreditation program coverage, identify gaps, and make data-driven decisions about nursery development priorities

Why Velocity?

Velocity was selected for this engagement because of its:

• Successful delivery of the TOFI Certification Web Portal for ICRAF earlier in 2024, demonstrating proven capability and established working relationship
• Experience developing web portals for agriculture, forestry, and related sectors, with strong references from similar projects
• Expertise in workflow automation and role-based access systems, critical for the multi-stakeholder accreditation process
• Track record with USAID-funded programs and international development organizations, understanding compliance and reporting requirements
• Proven capability in building portals for certification and accreditation processes, with relevant experience demonstrating familiarity with assessment workflows
• Office presence in Delhi/NCR enabling close collaboration with ICRAF India’s South Asia office
• Valid Unique Entity ID (UEI) registration with SAM.gov, mandatory for USAID-funded program service providers
• Strong technical team with 10-15+ professionals and expertise across PHP, HTML, CSS, Java, and CMS-based development platforms

Velocity Software Solutions — digitizing accreditation to grow India’s agroforestry future, one certified nursery at a time.