Digitalising African agricultural value chains: The role of ICT platforms in smallholders’ uptake of agricultural inputs in Uganda.

Summary

My research focuses on how we can use the increasing development of information, communications, and technology (ICT) tools such as mobile phones to improve smallholder farmers’ use of agricultural inputs, improve farm productivity, and contribute to the increasing food demands in many African countries.

Overall, my research shows that indeed ICT platforms, if designed according to farmers’ and other value chain actors’ needs, preferences, and capabilities, can improve coordination, loyalty, access to value chain services, and loyalty for mutual benefits.

This study recommends a one-stop ICT platform that can reduce transaction costs across the value chain and ensure that farmers access all the required services to produce and market their produce without the need to register and navigate different platforms that cause digital fatigue.