"Digital agriculture services supported by the GSMA Innovation Fund were scaled across 17 value chains and profiled more than 1.4 million farmers combined. Most of the farmers profiled are male (70.3%), smallholder farmers cultivating on less than two hectares of land (79.3%) and over 40 years of age (46%).
Women are underrepresented across digital agriculture services due to social and digital inclusion barriers. For example, gendered roles in farm households, lower levels of land ownership, mobile phone ownership and digital skills, and less trust in male purchasing clerks and agents all prevented women farmers from reaping the benefits of digital services, especially digital advisory and loans.
Younger farmers under 25 are still underrepresented among users, despite being a more tech-savvy demographic. The prevalence of older farmers among users is a reflection of ageing farming populations. On average, farmers older than 55, women and farmers with disabilities were less likely to recommend services than younger men without a disability.
Adoption and usage of digital agriculture services can only scale when they account for the diverse needs and capabilities of smallholder farmers. Specifically, digital agriculture services for smallholder farmers need to be adapted to low digital literacy levels, be relevant to small-scale production, an ageing demographic and should aim to be more inclusive of women farmers." (Executive summary: key findings, page 13)