IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/ifwkie/318202.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Connecting the unconnected? Social ties and ICT adoption among smallholder farmers in developing countries

Author

Listed:
  • Kleemann, Linda
  • Semrau, Finn Ole

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can reduce information asymmetries and thereby promote rural development for smallholder farmers in developing countries. Despite rising adoption rates of ICTs, many smallholders remain information constraint. Using panel data from 12,456 smallholder households across 12 developing countries, we analyze the role of social ties in determining ICT adoption and access to agricultural extension services. We find that weak social ties significantly reduce ICT adoption and access to agricultural advice, increasing information inequality. Moreover, ICT adoption, strong social ties and extension services positively correlate with agricultural productivity. Our findings highlight that ICTs, while transformative, may reinforce existing inequalities by marginalizing already disadvantaged smallholders.

Suggested Citation

  • Kleemann, Linda & Semrau, Finn Ole, 2025. "Connecting the unconnected? Social ties and ICT adoption among smallholder farmers in developing countries," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 318202, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:318202
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.123985
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/318202/1/1-s2.0-S0040162525000162-main.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.123985?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oriana Bandiera & Imran Rasul, 2006. "Social Networks and Technology Adoption in Northern Mozambique," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(514), pages 869-902, October.
    2. Penard, Thierry & Poussing, Nicolas & Mukoko, Blaise & Tamokwe Piaptie, Georges Bertrand, 2015. "Internet adoption and usage patterns in Africa: Evidence from Cameroon," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 71-80.
    3. Jenny C. Aker, 2010. "Information from Markets Near and Far: Mobile Phones and Agricultural Markets in Niger," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 46-59, July.
    4. Thierry PENARD & Nicolas POUSSING & Gabriel ZOMO YEBE & Philémon NSI ELLA, 2012. "Comparing the Determinants of Internet and Cell Phone Use in Africa: Evidence from Gabon," Communications & Strategies, IDATE, Com&Strat dept., vol. 1(86), pages 65-83, 2nd quart.
    5. Aparo, Nathaline Onek & Odongo, Walter & De Steur, Hans, 2022. "Unraveling heterogeneity in farmer's adoption of mobile phone technologies: A systematic review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    6. Hunecke, Claudia & Engler, Alejandra & Jara-Rojas, Roberto & Poortvliet, P. Marijn, 2017. "Understanding the role of social capital in adoption decisions: An application to irrigation technology," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 221-231.
    7. Engås, Karen G. & Raja, Jawwad Z. & Neufang, Isabelle Fabienne, 2023. "Decoding technological frames: An exploratory study of access to and meaningful engagement with digital technologies in agriculture," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    8. Ellison, Glenn & Fudenberg, Drew, 1993. "Rules of Thumb for Social Learning," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(4), pages 612-643, August.
    9. Awal Abdul‐Rahaman & Awudu Abdulai, 2022. "Mobile money adoption, input use, and farm output among smallholder rice farmers in Ghana," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(1), pages 236-255, January.
    10. Timothy G. Conley & Christopher R. Udry, 2010. "Learning about a New Technology: Pineapple in Ghana," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 100(1), pages 35-69, March.
    11. Ariel BenYishay & A Mushfiq Mobarak, 2019. "Social Learning and Incentives for Experimentation and Communication," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 86(3), pages 976-1009.
    12. Robert Jensen, 2007. "The Digital Provide: Information (Technology), Market Performance, and Welfare in the South Indian Fisheries Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 879-924.
    13. Jenny Aker, 2008. "Does Digital Divide or Provide? The Impact of Cell Phones on Grain Markets in Niger," Working Papers 154, Center for Global Development.
    14. Goldfarb, Avi, 2006. "The (teaching) role of universities in the diffusion of the Internet," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 203-225, March.
    15. William Jack & Tavneet Suri, 2014. "Risk Sharing and Transactions Costs: Evidence from Kenya's Mobile Money Revolution," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(1), pages 183-223, January.
    16. Diether W. Beuermann & Christopher McKelvey & Renos Vakis, 2012. "Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Rural Peru," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(11), pages 1617-1628, November.
    17. Mekonnen, Daniel Ayalew & Gerber, Nicolas & Matz, Julia Anna, 2018. "Gendered Social Networks, Agricultural Innovations, and Farm Productivity in Ethiopia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 321-335.
    18. Voss, Rachel C. & Jansen, Tony & Mané, Bacary & Shennan, Carol, 2021. "Encouraging technology adoption using ICTs and farm trials in Senegal: Lessons for gender equity and scaled impact," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    19. Sekabira, Haruna & Qaim, Matin, 2017. "Can Mobile Phones Improve Gender Equality and Nutrition? Panel Data Evidence from Farm Households in Uganda," GlobalFood Discussion Papers 256215, Georg-August-Universitaet Goettingen, GlobalFood, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development.
    20. Holden, Stein T. & Fisher, Monica & Katengeza, Samson P. & Thierfelder, Christian, 2018. "Can lead farmers reveal the adoption potential of conservation agriculture? The case of Malawi," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 113-123.
    21. Benedito Cunguara & Karl Moder, 2011. "Is Agricultural Extension Helping the Poor? Evidence from Rural Mozambique," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 20(4), pages 562-595, August.
    22. Jenny C. Aker & Ishita Ghosh & Jenna Burrell, 2016. "The promise (and pitfalls) of ICT for agriculture initiatives," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 35-48, November.
    23. Jakob Svensson & David Yanagizawa, 2009. "Getting Prices Right: The Impact of the Market Information Service in Uganda," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 7(2-3), pages 435-445, 04-05.
    24. Sekabira, Haruna & Qaim, Matin, 2017. "Can mobile phones improve gender equality and nutrition? Panel data evidence from farm households in Uganda," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 95-103.
    25. Kondylis, Florence & Mueller, Valerie & Sheriff, Glenn & Zhu, Siyao, 2016. "Do Female Instructors Reduce Gender Bias in Diffusion of Sustainable Land Management Techniques? Experimental Evidence From Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 436-449.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Qirui Zhang & Xinhui Feng & Wangfang Xu & Longbao Wei, 2025. "Digitalization’s Role in Shaping Sustainable Agriculture—Evidence from Chinese Provincial Panel Data Using the Baidu Index," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-23, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Campenhout, Bjorn Van, 2021. "ICTs to Address Information Inefficiencies in Food Supply Chains," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315054, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    2. Bjorn Van Campenhout, 2022. "ICTs to address information inefficiencies in food supply chains," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(6), pages 968-975, November.
    3. Campenhout, Bjorn Van, 2021. "ICTs to Address Information Inefficiencies in Food Supply Chains," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 313801, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    4. Eduardo Nakasone & Maximo Torero, 2016. "A text message away: ICTs as a tool to improve food security," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 49-59, November.
    5. Uwe Deichmann & Aparajita Goyal & Deepak Mishra, 2016. "Will digital technologies transform agriculture in developing countries?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 21-33, November.
    6. Ting Jin & Lei Li, 2022. "Does Smartphone Use Improve the Dietary Diversity of Rural Residents? Evidence from Household Survey Data from 5 Provinces," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-16, September.
    7. Rajkhowa, Pallavi & Qaim, Matin, 2022. "Mobile phones, women's physical mobility, and contraceptive use in India," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    8. Kazushi Takahashi & Rie Muraoka & Keijiro Otsuka, 2020. "Technology adoption, impact, and extension in developing countries’ agriculture: A review of the recent literature," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(1), pages 31-45, January.
    9. de Janvry, Alain & Sadoulet, Elisabeth, 2020. "Using agriculture for development: Supply- and demand-side approaches," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    10. Apoorv Gupta & Jacopo Ponticelli & Andrea Tesei, 2020. "Language Barriers, Technology Adoption and Productivity: Evidence from Agriculture in India," NBER Working Papers 27192, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Lasdun, Violet & Harou, Aurélie & Magomba, Chris & Guereña, Davíd, 2025. "Peer learning and technology adoption in a digital farmer-to-farmer network," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 127762, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Apoorv Gupta & Jacopo Ponticelli & Andrea Tesei, 2019. "Technology Adoption and Access to Credit via Mobile Phones," Working Papers 892, Queen Mary University of London, School of Economics and Finance.
    13. Alain de Janvry & Elisabeth Sadoulet, 2019. "Transforming developing country agriculture: Removing adoption constraints and promoting inclusive value chain development," Working Papers hal-02287668, HAL.
    14. Abate, Gashaw T. & Abay, Kibrom A. & Chamberlin, Jordan & Kassim, Yumna & Spielman, David J. & Paul Jr Tabe-Ojong, Martin, 2023. "Digital tools and agricultural market transformation in Africa: Why are they not at scale yet, and what will it take to get there?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    15. Huang, Tianyu & Quan, Yiyue, 2025. "Narrowing the digital divide: The growth and distributional effect of internet use on income in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Gershom Endelani Mwalupaso & Shangao Wang & Zhangxing Xu & Xu Tian, 2019. "Towards Auspicious Agricultural Informatization—Implication of Farmers’ Behavioral Intention Apropos of Mobile Phone Use in Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-21, November.
    17. Lin Xie & Biliang Luo & Wenjing Zhong, 2021. "How Are Smallholder Farmers Involved in Digital Agriculture in Developing Countries: A Case Study from China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-16, March.
    18. repec:ags:mididp:152396 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Martin C. Parlasca & Oliver Mußhoff & Matin Qaim, 2020. "Can mobile phones improve nutrition among pastoral communities? Panel data evidence from Northern Kenya," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 51(3), pages 475-488, May.
    20. Hailemariam Ayalew & Dagim G. Belay, 2020. "The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange and Spatial Price Dispersion: Disentangling Warehouse and Price Information effects," IFRO Working Paper 2020/01, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.
    21. Melia, Elvis, 2019. "The impact of information and communication technologies on jobs in Africa: a literature review," IDOS Discussion Papers 3/2019, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • Q19 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Other

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:318202. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/iwkiede.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.