Will Digital Technologies Transform Agriculture in Developing Countries?
Mobile phones and the internet have significantly affected practically all sectors of the economy, and agriculture is no exception. Building on a recent World Bank flagship report, this paper introduces a concise framework for describing the main b...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2016/05/26367417/digital-technologies-transform-agriculture-developing-countries http://hdl.handle.net/10986/24507 |
| Summary: | Mobile phones and the internet have
significantly affected practically all sectors of the
economy, and agriculture is no exception. Building on a
recent World Bank flagship report, this paper introduces a
concise framework for describing the main benefits from new
information and communications technologies. They promote
greater inclusion in the broader economy, raise efficiency
by complementing other production factors, and foster
innovation by dramatically reducing transaction costs. The
paper reviews the recent literature on corresponding
technology impacts in the rural sector in developing
countries. Digital technologies overcome information
problems that hinder market access for many small-scale
farmers, increase knowledge through new ways of providing
extension services, and they provide novel ways for
improving agricultural supply chain management. Although
there are many promising examples of positive impacts on
rural livelihoods--or "digital dividends"--often
these have not scaled up to the extent expected. The main
reason is that technology can only address some, but not
all, of the barriers faced by farmers in the poorer countries. |
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