Digital Technologies for Agricultural and Rural Development in the Global South

The aim of this book is to share research and practice on current trends in digital technology for agricultural and rural development in the Global South: specifically to bring together the perspectives of academic researchers from diverse disciplines with those of practitioners with experience in implementing mobile applications and agricultural information systems in differing country contexts. Part 1 (chapters 1-4) focuses on the creation and sharing of knowledge. Principally, the contributors explore the ways in which agricultural knowledge can be turned into effective practice, and the role that digital technologies can play in this process. Part Two (chapters 5-8) examines knowledge intermediaries, the organizations or individuals who stand between the farmers themselves and the markets and institutions with whom they interact (e.g., suppliers of inputs and finance, buyers of produce and providers of knowledge and assistance). The contributions are centrally concerned with how mobile technologies effect the agency and capabilities of end users to act on content provided through digital channels, and how producers are able to change their behaviour on the basis of data and information that can be accessed via digital technologies. Part 3 (chapters 9-13) provides different perspectives on how digital technologies can facilitate change in agricultural systems. A central theme relates to 'disruption' versus 'sustainability' of existing agricultural structures and processes. A key question examined is what kinds of institutional impacts are produced by content (knowledge) diffusion initiatives, and what are the challenges of successfully bridging business and development interests in the agricultural sector through use of digital technologies?