Module 1: Overview of Digital Agriculture

Welcome to Module 1 of the Digital Agriculture Course. In this module, we cover an overview of digital
agriculture, and learn about the impact of mobile technology in agriculture.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, we will be able to:

 Explain the shifting role of technology-enabled interventions in agricultural development

 List the key drivers of using ICTs and digital technologies in agriculture and assess their
availability when designing a technology-enabled agricultural program in the local context;
 Describe available ICTs and digital tools, and
 Apply the Principles of Digital Development and Principles for Designing Mobile-based
Programs in Agriculture to evaluate the effectiveness of ICT and digital interventions in
agriculture project design

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 Module 1: Overview of Digital Agriculture

Section 1: Introduction to Digital agriculture

Let’s begin with an introduction to digital agriculture.

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What is ICT?
What exactly is ICT? Simply put, ICT includes any device, tool, or application that permits the exchange
or collection of data through interaction or transmission. It is an umbrella term that includes anything
ranging from radio to satellite imagery to mobile phones or electronic money transfers.

Enable Poor Farmers to Use ICT: Affordability, Accessibility, Adaptability

In recent years, various types of ICTs gained traction even in impoverished regions. The increases in their
affordability, accessibility, and adaptability resulted in their use, even within rural homesteads relying on
agriculture. And thanks to these factors, new, small devices such as multifunctional mobile phones,
infrastructure such as mobile telecommunications networks and cloud computing facilities, and
especially applications proliferated.

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Access and Affordability

Many considered access to ICT holistically, with an aim of understanding different aspects of how access
is enabled or impeded, including technological, socioeconomic, and cultural aspects.
As such, the Access Rainbow developed by Clement and Shade provides a framework for discussing
access to ICT infrastructure, appliances, and services.
Click each access category to learn more about what it entails.
1. Access to infrastructure indicates the "carriage facilities" layer, a physical technology layer
consisting of installed network capacity, network connectivity, and interoperability standards.
2. Access to appliances is captured by the physical layer of ICT hardware devices and the logical
layer of software tools on these devices.
3. Access to services is a more amorphous concept, consisting of (1) the ready availability of
content (resources), (2) the ready availability (to those who are not experts in the technology) of
network access and appropriate support services through commercial vendors; (3) the
availability of formal and informal learning facilities for developing network literary; and (4) the
ready availability of channels through which individual users can participate in decisions about
telecommunications services, their social inclusiveness, and the public accountability of their
provision.

Types of ICT-enabled Services Useful for Enhancing Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers

The Types of ICT-enabled services that are useful for improving the capacity and livelihoods of poor
smallholders and growing quickly.
1. One of the examples of these services is the use of mobile phones as a platform for
exchanging information through short messaging services (SMS) and mobile apps.
2. Another would be the use of satellites and remote sensors to collect and transmit data.

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3. Another widely used type of the ICT services is accounting software and GPS services for
supply chain and financial management.
Please note, ICT enabled services often use multiple technologies to provide information, not just relying
on one technology. We have seen only a few examples of the increasingly affordable and accessible ICT
services available for the agricultural sector. There are thousands of agriculture-specific applications that
are emerging and bring great promise for smallholders. We will examine many of these throughout this
course.

Key Tasks to Reap Benefits of ICT

In order to really enjoy the vast potential of ICTS, there are two important tasks that countries have to
keep in mind:
(A) First, they should focus on empowering poor farmers with information and communication assets
and services that will increase their productivity and incomes as well as protect their food security and
livelihoods, and

(B) Second, they should harness ICT effectively to compete in complex, rapidly changing global markets
Accomplishing these tasks requires the implementation of a complex set of policy, investment,
innovation, and capacity-building measures, in concert with beneficiaries and other partners, which will
encourage the growth of locally appropriate, affordable, and sustainable ICT infrastructure, tools,
applications, and services for the rural economy.

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ICT/Digital tools as a means to an agricultural end

It’s also important to remember that ICTs and digital technologies are a means, not an end to
agricultural development. The excitement generated by any technology as it spreads throughout
developing countries often masked that contributions to agriculture are both rapidly evolving and poorly
understood. While there is credible evidence of a positive impact, questions remain about how to make
these innovations replicable, scalable, and sustainable for a larger and more diverse population.
Therefore, in this course, we will find out the evidence of ICT and digital technologies’ impact on
agricultural development and rural poverty reduction, exploring opportunities for long-term and
expansive efforts.

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Knowledge Check
Let’s answer this question before we continue

Drivers of ICT in Agriculture

Five main trends have been the key drivers of the use of ICT in agriculture overall, particularly for poor
producers. These are:
1. Low-cost and pervasive connectivity;
2. Adaptable and more affordable tools;
3. Advances in data storage and exchange;
4. Innovative business models and partnerships; and
5. Democratization of information, including the open access movement and social media
These drivers are expected to continue shaping the prospects for using ICT effectively in developing
country agriculture. Let’s go deeper into each key driver.

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Low-cost and Pervasive Connectivity

Firstly, the pervasiveness of connectivity to mobile phones, the internet, and other wireless devices, is
making ICT devices and services more affordable in ways that also extend access to small-scale
producers. Mobile phones are really in the vanguard of ICT use in agriculture. By the end of 2017, over
7.7 billion mobile cellular subscriptions were expected to be in use worldwide. Mobile phone
penetration in the developing world now exceeds 98% of its population, accounting for about 79% of
the total number of mobile cellular subscriptions in the world. See the graphs on the screen to learn
more about the current status of ICT infrastructure development

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Adaptable and Affordable Tools

The proliferation of adaptable and more affordable technologies and devices also increased ICT’s
relevance to smallholder agriculture. Innovation steadily reduced the purchase price of phones, laptops,
scientific instruments, and specialized software. Agricultural innovation in developed countries became
more applicable to developing country needs.

In particular, mobile-based applications are becoming more suitable for poor and isolated communities,
especially through feature phones. Drawing on simple, available technologies such as SMS, service
providers can offer mobile banking, other transactional services, and information services.

As you can see on the screen, geospatial information is also becoming easier to access and use as
mapping tools, such as Microsoft Earth, Google maps or open street maps, bring geographical data
information to non-specialist users. When geospatial information is combined with climate and
socioeconomic data, it opens many options for analyzing biophysical trends, making projections, and
selecting particular groups to test new technologies or farming practices, such as identifying farmers
who are most likely to benefit from using e-vouchers to purchase fertilizer.

Advances in Data Storage and Exchange

Greatly increased data storage capacity and the ability to access data remotely and share it easily
improved the use of ICT in agriculture. Sharing knowledge and exchanging data created opportunities to
involve more stakeholders in agricultural research—involvement facilitated by an improved e-learning
environment and networking capacity. Advances in data storage and sharing improved the ability to
exchange information—for instance, between departments and levels of government—and avoid costs
associated with data transmission charges.

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New Business Models and Public-Private Partnerships

The development and use of many types of ICT originated in the public sector but were quickly
dominated by the private sector when their profit potential became clear. The public sector maintains
great interest in ICT as a means of providing better public services that affect agriculture such as land
registration, forest management, and agricultural extension services, as well as for connecting with
citizens and managing internal affairs. Unlike other development strategies, which often struggle to
survive or be scaled up because the public sector cannot fund them, development strategies featuring
ICT benefited from growing private sector interest and public demand.

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Democratization of Information, Open Access Movement, and Social Media

The democratization of information and science facilitated by ICT also contributes to agriculture and
rural development more broadly. Vast quantities of information held by institutions and individuals are
becoming visible, publicly accessible, and reusable through the open access movement. As you can see
on the screen, most of the agricultural stakeholders find social media useful, in carrying out their
responsibilities in the agricultural value chain.

The expansion of open access software also enables grassroots community organizations to share
knowledge with one another. Social media, once used purely for entertainment, has great potential to
be used for knowledge sharing and collaboration, even in agriculture. Finally, crowdsourcing—in which
scientists, governments, and development organizations request feedback from farmers and consumers
through devices like mobile phones also facilitates agriculture development.

Knowledge Check
Let’s drag each description to its corresponding driver of ICT and digital tools in agriculture.

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The How: Lessons Learned So Far

Using ICT to achieve agricultural development goals requires supplementary investments, resources,
and strategies. Flexible but strongly supportive policies and regulations, complementary investments in
physical infrastructure, support for men and women farmers of different age groups, technological
appropriateness, and enabling environments for innovation and new businesses will determine the long-
term impact and sustainability of these efforts. These lessons are inconclusive but they serve as sound
considerations as investments are made in future interventions.

Let’s click each photo on the screen and learn more about each lesson in detail.

a. Concentrate on the Demand, Not on the Technology

It is important to begin any ICT-in-Agriculture intervention by focusing on the need that the intervention
is purposed to address - not the need for ICT, but the need for better and more timely market
information, better access to financial services, timely and appropriate crop and disease management
advice, stronger links to agricultural value chains, and so forth. In some cases, ICT will not be an effective
means to meet these needs at all.

b. Use Appropriate Technologies

The attractiveness of the newest types of ICT or digital technology can lead to a preference for the latest
technologies at the expense of older technologies (such as radio), yet the newest, most elaborate, or
most innovative technology is not automatically the most appropriate one. Moreover, an innovative mix
of technologies (for instance, radio programs with a call-in or SMS facility for feedback) can be the most
cost-effective solution. A well-reasoned assessment of the trade-offs between the added cost of a
technology or service and benefits relative to other options (technological and other) is important.

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c. Focus on Affordable Access and Use, not Ownership

In designing ICT-in-agriculture interventions, it is vital to bear in mind that “access” refers not only to the
physical proximity and accessibility of ICT infrastructure, tools, and services but also to their affordability,
use, and usage models that are appropriate for the local physical, environmental, and cultural
constraints. The specific mix of individual-user and shared use/public-access models that is most
appropriate and locally sustainable will vary depending on local needs and resources and will change
over time as devices and services diversify further and become even more affordable.

d. Be aware of differential Effects, including gender and social differences in access and use
Under certain conditions, ICT interventions can worsen rather than alleviate underlying economic, social,
and political inequalities, including those between women and men. Rural women face significant
disadvantages in accessing information and communication assets and services. Many of the fixed-
location ICT projects designed to enhance rural access to information assets and services were or are
owned or managed by men. Furthermore, social issues extend beyond gender. A full understanding of
the local, national, and regional agricultural economy is important for ensuring that ICT interventions do
not restrict poor producers’ participation to the low end of agricultural value chains, as other
technologies have done.

The How: Lessons Learned So Far

Continuing from the lessons you’ve learned, effective design and consistent, transparent
implementation of appropriate policies and regulations guiding a country’s investment in and provision
of ICT infrastructure, tools, and services is key to enabling ICT interventions. Digital agriculture
interventions require a strong, but flexible, regulatory environment, which is further strengthened by
incentives for the private sector to make investments.

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Advancing from fostering a favorable environment for the private sector engagement, public-private
partnerships are also considered essential to the long-term viability of most interventions that use ICT in
agriculture. Combined with private investment, public service provision can be more sustainable.
Last, but not least, ICT interventions and digital agriculture require leadership. These leaders must
operate at the national level, where budgetary and strategic decisions are made. They must also operate
at local levels, modeling the effective use of a technology and building farmers’ trust in its efficacy.
Leaders are needed for the long haul, as interventions that require new infrastructure or policy and
institutional reforms take years to complete.

Digital Building Blocks & Digital Development

Today, emerging digital technologies have the potential to transform the global food systems as a whole:
lowering costs to scale, accelerating innovation, increasing transparency in food systems, enabling
consumers to make informed choices, and allowing policy makers to engage in evidence-based policy
making.

While ICT and digital technology are not completely exclusive, digital transformation often comes with
the notion that digital technologies redesign business processes and create new values in the way things
are operated, going beyond the use of digital technology as a tool. In this sense, digital tools can serve as
platforms and mediums of achieving development goals, in addition to ICT’s role of a tool for
development.

Aligning with this idea, the World Economic Forum (WEF) identifies that Digital Building Blocks such as
Big Data, the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, and block chain, in
addition to new physical systems and advances in science, are expected to disrupt the global food
systems.

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Principles of Digital Development

Take a look at the principles of digital development, a set of nine guidelines to promote effective
practices in technology-enabled programs for international development and cooperation. Let’s keep
these principles in mind as we advance with the course modules:
1. Design with the user
2. Understand the existing ecosystem
3. Design for scale
4. Build for sustainability
5. Be data driven
6. Use open standards, open data, open source, and open innovation
7. Reuse and improve
8. Address privacy and security
9. Be collaborative

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Knowledge Check
Which of the following are the principles of digital development? Select all that applies.

Section 2: Impact of Mobile Devices and Services on Agriculture and Rural Development
Section 2: Impact of Mobile Devices and Services on Agriculture and Rural Development
Now, let’s learn about the impact of mobile technologies on agriculture and rural development.

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Mobile Revolution
The rise of the mobile phone has been one of the most stunning changes in the developing world over
the past decades. Even in rural areas, mobile phones are growing in number and sophistication.
As you can see in the graph above, the number of mobile phone subscriptions surpassed the7 billion
mark in 2017, further establishing mobile phone as the most popular form of global connectivity. The
increasing ubiquity of mobile phones in developing countries presents both opportunities and
challenges, especially for critical sectors such as agriculture. Like other technologies before it, the mobile
phone has been the subject of inflated expectations and hopes. To caution against the hype, this module
also explores barriers to using mobile phones to benefit agriculture and provides recommendations for
practitioners seeking to use the mobile platform to improve farmers’ livelihoods.

Mobile Phones and Agriculture

In many countries, agriculture accounts for most of rural employment. The benefits that accompany
improvements in agricultural productivity are well known: farmers’ incomes rise, food prices fall, and
labor is freed up for additional employment. Technical innovation, most prominently demonstrated in
the Green Revolution, has been key to improving agricultural markets in the developing world. Likewise,
mobile phones became a key tool to help those communities improve their agricultural activities.
Advances throughout the mobile phone ecosystem tend to act as a positive feedback loop. This
“virtuous cycle” of innovation enables several benefits, even for smallholder farmers. Through this
expansion process, formerly costly technologies quickly become everyday tools for the bottom of the
pyramid. Let’s click each step to learn more about the virtuous cycle of innovation.
1. Access: Mobile wireless networks are expanding as technical and financial innovations widen
coverage to more areas;
2. Affordability: Prepaid connectivity and inexpensive devices, often available second hand, make
mobile phones far cheaper than alternatives;

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3. Appliances: Mobile phones are constantly increasing in sophistication and ease of use.
Innovations arrive through traditional trickle-down effects from expensive models but have also
been directed at the bottom of the pyramid;
4. Applications: Applications and services using mobile phones range from simple text messaging
services to increasingly advanced software applications that provide both livelihood
improvement and real-time public services

Knowledge Check
Let’s drag each description to the corresponding step of the virtual circle of mobile phones and
agriculture

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Key Benefits of Mobile Phones in Agricultural Livelihoods

The proliferation of mobile phones across the globe affected agriculture in various ways. These phones
are being used to help raise farmers’ incomes, making agricultural marketing more efficient, lowering
information costs, reducing transportation costs, and providing a platform to deliver services and
innovate.

It is uncertain, however, if the potential of these trends can be realized more widely, especially in rural
areas and in an equitable way. Every aspect of the technology is changing rapidly; the public sector,
private sector, and private citizens constantly experiment with new applications for it; and governments
grapple with any number of strategies to ease the digital divide. We will see what is known so far about
the benefits, challenges, and enabling factors associated with mobile phones in relation to several
aspects of agricultural livelihoods.

Case Study
Let’s take some time to read this passage about the case study where fishermen in India largely
benefited from the use of mobile phones.

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Case Study - Continued

As mobile networks were rolled out in coastal regions, fishers who were previously ignorant of daily
prices in different markets were able to contact various ports to find the best offer for their catch. The
result was demonstrable welfare gains for fishers because fish were sold where they were more highly
valued. Waste decreased and prices equalized throughout regional ports; there were even small gains in
consumer welfare.

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Lessons Learned
It is clear that mobile phones may help to increase income, improve the efficiency of markets, reduce
waste, and improve welfare as we’ve covered so far.

1. Yet, mobile phones, and ICT and digital tools more generally, may serve agricultural
development best when accompanied by complementary investments and reforms. Moreover,
a lack of financial services can undermine the new options that mobile phones allow. As we saw
earlier, Kerala’s fishers saw their welfare increase using mobile phones, but they ran into
another financial barrier. Without access to capital, the fishers cannot own their boats. The
phones eliminated some intermediaries, but boat owners may still force the fish to be sold in a
less-than-optimal port.
2. Also, mobile services and applications also need to provide compelling value, especially for the
poor. Access to devices and networks is insufficient; the technology also must be affordable and
have useful applications and content.
3. An additional caution is that without specific attention to equity issues, mobile phones may
reinforce inequitable social structures.

Two Typologies for Using Mobile Phones in Agriculture

As governments, donors, NGOs, and private firms attempt to use mobile technology for development
goals, researchers develop frameworks to make sense of these initiatives and help design new ones.
Generally, the use of mobile phones in agriculture can be described in two such typologies: mobile
livelihood services and mobile applications for agriculture. Here, let’s look at the mobile livelihoods first.
Jonathan Donner, Senior Director at Caribou Digital, finds six types of mobile livelihoods services:
mediated agricultural extension, market information systems, virtual market places, comprehensive
services, financial services, and direct livelihood support. He also identifies five possible effects:

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improving internal activities, adding market information, adding market participants, bypassing
middlemen, and starting businesses. Although many livelihood services are bound to have more than
one effect, the Table emphasizes the main areas of impact.

The second typology focuses on the various forms that mobile applications might take to develop the
agricultural sector. In the framework suggested by Kerry McNamara, mobile agricultural applications
may (1) educate and raise awareness, (2) distribute price information, (3) collect data, and (4) track
pests and diseases.

Principles for Designing Mobile Agriculture Projects

The use of mobile phones in agriculture has already witnessed failure as well as success. A survey of
what has been learned indicates that several principles can improve the chances of sustainable impact.
Let’s click each photo to learn about the corresponding principle for designing mobile agriculture
projects.

1. Practitioners need to think carefully about why mobile phones are the technology of choice and
consider alternatives, from the cutting edge to the mundane. Also, mobile phones are far from
unitary so understanding the platform’s strengths and limitations is essential.
2. Understanding local needs is a difficult task that can be made easier by directly involving
communities in design and implementation interventions. Bringing communities into the early
stages of the project can also foster local ownership, a key component of sustainability.
3. Partners should be chosen for their specialized knowledge, willingness to collaborate, and
alignment of goals. Special care should be taken at the very beginning of project planning to
ensure that key stakeholders will work together positively. Also, projects must seek to leverage
trusted intermediaries.

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4. It is crucial to address existing barriers to using mobile phones in parallel. They be illiteracy or
prohibitive cost, or they can be technical or culture. Also, projects that are exclusive to one
MNO or a specific type of phone may face implicit barriers to adoption. Open technological
standards and free and open source software can be used to reach a wider audience and avoid
lock-in.
5. It is essential to develop a viable business plan from the very conception of a project to use
mobile phones in agriculture to ensure sustainability of projects; and
6. It is crucial to include a monitoring and evaluation component to get a better understanding of
these outcomes in designing new interventions.

Summary
In this module, we saw
 A holistic way of understanding access to ICT such as Clement and Shade’s the Access
Rainbow;
 Common types of ICT-enabled services that are useful for enhancing agricultural livelihoods
of smallholder farmers;
 Common drivers of ICTs in agriculture;
 Principles of digital development;
 Steps of mobile phone ecosystem that functions as a positive feedback loop;
 Lessons learned from using mobile phones for smallholder farmers; and
 Principles for designing mobile agriculture projects

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Now, in module 2, we will address various ways ICT and digital tools can be used to enhance productivity
on the farm.

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