An assessment of the challenges and capacity gaps in smallholder access to digital extension and advisory services(EAS)was made by surveying 197 female and 239 male farmers in Kenya and Uganda.Non-digital extension ap...An assessment of the challenges and capacity gaps in smallholder access to digital extension and advisory services(EAS)was made by surveying 197 female and 239 male farmers in Kenya and Uganda.Non-digital extension approaches remain dominant but at least 78%of farmers accessed EAS from electronic sources dominated by radio.This is attributed to the fact that ownership of radios was more widespread than of other digital devices.Challenges that particularly limit the use of digital services included low digital literacy and prohibitive cost of internet and mobile devices.Female and elderly farmers were more likely to report these challenges than their counterparts.Logistic regression model results show that ownership of digital devices,participation in post-production activities,and access to extension were enablers of digital EAS use.Farmers mentioned gaps in obtaining information on crop pest/disease diagnosis and management,fertilizer application,pesticide safety and quality seed.Given the diversity in smallholder technological capabilities and information needs,the recommendations made include integration of digital communication within multimode advisory services that use different but linked communication channels,continued farmer digital innovation capacity enhancement,and participatory design approaches that deliver relevant and actionable information for inclusive scaling of extension activities.展开更多
The adoption of digital advisory systems is transforming smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for most of the population. Despite significant investments in d...The adoption of digital advisory systems is transforming smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for most of the population. Despite significant investments in digital technologies, agricultural productivity continues to underperform. This study explores the barriers preventing the scaling of digital advisory services among smallholder farmers and identifies strategies to optimize their adoption. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 854 smallholder farmers, 40 extension staff, and 8 development workers across six districts in Zimbabwe. The study reveals a high mobile penetration rate of 91%, higher than the 85% reported in the literature. However, challenges such as limited digital literacy, poor network connectivity, and financial constraints hinder the effective use of mobile advisory services. The findings also highlight a strong reliance on basic communication tools like SMS (42.83%) and WhatsApp (25.14%) for receiving agricultural information, while more advanced tools like mobile apps have lower adoption. Key recommendations include investing in nationwide digital literacy programs, incentivizing mobile network operators to improve rural connectivity, and developing human-centered, scalable digital solutions tailored to farmers’ needs. Furthermore, integrating AI-driven advisory systems with popular platforms like WhatsApp could significantly enhance the delivery of site-specific, actionable farming advice. This research provides insights into how digital advisory systems can be leveraged to improve agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe and other similar contexts.展开更多
基金The study was co-funded by FAO and CABI and the research was led by CABI.
文摘An assessment of the challenges and capacity gaps in smallholder access to digital extension and advisory services(EAS)was made by surveying 197 female and 239 male farmers in Kenya and Uganda.Non-digital extension approaches remain dominant but at least 78%of farmers accessed EAS from electronic sources dominated by radio.This is attributed to the fact that ownership of radios was more widespread than of other digital devices.Challenges that particularly limit the use of digital services included low digital literacy and prohibitive cost of internet and mobile devices.Female and elderly farmers were more likely to report these challenges than their counterparts.Logistic regression model results show that ownership of digital devices,participation in post-production activities,and access to extension were enablers of digital EAS use.Farmers mentioned gaps in obtaining information on crop pest/disease diagnosis and management,fertilizer application,pesticide safety and quality seed.Given the diversity in smallholder technological capabilities and information needs,the recommendations made include integration of digital communication within multimode advisory services that use different but linked communication channels,continued farmer digital innovation capacity enhancement,and participatory design approaches that deliver relevant and actionable information for inclusive scaling of extension activities.
文摘The adoption of digital advisory systems is transforming smallholder agriculture in Zimbabwe, a country where agriculture remains the primary livelihood for most of the population. Despite significant investments in digital technologies, agricultural productivity continues to underperform. This study explores the barriers preventing the scaling of digital advisory services among smallholder farmers and identifies strategies to optimize their adoption. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 854 smallholder farmers, 40 extension staff, and 8 development workers across six districts in Zimbabwe. The study reveals a high mobile penetration rate of 91%, higher than the 85% reported in the literature. However, challenges such as limited digital literacy, poor network connectivity, and financial constraints hinder the effective use of mobile advisory services. The findings also highlight a strong reliance on basic communication tools like SMS (42.83%) and WhatsApp (25.14%) for receiving agricultural information, while more advanced tools like mobile apps have lower adoption. Key recommendations include investing in nationwide digital literacy programs, incentivizing mobile network operators to improve rural connectivity, and developing human-centered, scalable digital solutions tailored to farmers’ needs. Furthermore, integrating AI-driven advisory systems with popular platforms like WhatsApp could significantly enhance the delivery of site-specific, actionable farming advice. This research provides insights into how digital advisory systems can be leveraged to improve agricultural productivity in Zimbabwe and other similar contexts.
