Will Digital Technologies Transform Agriculture in Developing Countries?

Deichmann, Uwe; Goyal, Aparajita; Mishra, Deepak

Will Digital Technologies Transform Agriculture in Developing Countries?

Autores

Deichmann, Uwe

Goyal, Aparajita

Mishra, Deepak

Editor

World Bank, Washington, DC

Descripción

Mobile phones and the internet have significantly affected practically all sectors of the economy, and agriculture is no exception. Building on a recent World Bank flagship report, this paper introduces a concise framework for describing the main benefits from new information and communications technologies. They promote greater inclusion in the broader economy, raise efficiency by complementing other production factors, and foster innovation by dramatically reducing transaction costs. The paper reviews the recent literature on corresponding technology impacts in the rural sector in developing countries. Digital technologies overcome information problems that hinder market access for many small-scale farmers, increase knowledge through new ways of providing extension services, and they provide novel ways for improving agricultural supply chain management. Although there are many promising examples of positive impacts on rural livelihoods--or "digital dividends"--often these have not scaled up to the extent expected. The main reason is that technology can only address some, but not all, of the barriers faced by farmers in the poorer countries.

Palabras clave

FINANCIAL SERVICES, EXPORT MARKETS, INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION, PROTOTYPE, COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES, MARKET OPPORTUNITIES, GLOBAL MARKETS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, SEARCH, E-COMMERCE, BUYER, INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT, VIDEO, VALUE CHAIN, INFORMATION BANK, DIGITIZATION, INFORMATION, MONITORING, DIGITAL INNOVATIONS, TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION, CAPACITY BUILDING, BUSINESS MODELS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES, TRACEABILITY, TRADE NETWORKS, PRICE, REAL-TIME DATA, PILOT PROJECT, MARKET ACCESS, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, MARKET INFORMATION, TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE, OPEN ACCESS, E-GOVERNMENT, MOBILE TELEPHONY, SATELLITE, SUPERMARKET, NEW TECHNOLOGIES, COMMUNICATIONS, INSTITUTIONS, HUMAN RESOURCE, LINK, DATA, ADVERTISING, HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT, COMMERCE, INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, TRANSPORT SYSTEMS, TELECOMMUNICATIONS, IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS, INFORMATION SERVICES, INCOME INEQUALITY, CUSTOMIZATION, APPLICATION OF INFORMATION, VALUE CHAINS, PRODUCTIVITY, TELEPHONY, PRIVATE SECTOR INVESTMENTS, BUYERS, MARKETING, E-GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES, LIMITED ACCESS, AUTOMATION, INFORMATION SERVICE, SERVICE PROVIDER, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY, INFORMATION NETWORKS, WEB, LINKS, DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES, DELIVERY OF PRODUCTS, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFERS, DATA ANALYSIS, RFID, INFORMATION COMMUNICATION, NATURAL RESOURCES, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, RADIO, DIGITAL DIVIDE, MARKET PRICE, ACCESS TO INFORMATION, TRANSACTIONS, USERS, PHONE, TECHNOLOGY, AUCTIONS, TRANSACTION, HUMAN CAPITAL, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, PUBLIC UTILITY, SOFTWARE, BEST PRACTICES, RESULTS, DELIVERY TIMES, MOBILE DEVICE, MOBILE PHONE, GPS, TECHNOLOGY TOOLS, REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT, ELECTRICITY, MIDDLEMAN, PURCHASING POWER, MOBILE NETWORKS, NETWORKS, VIDEOS, PRIVATE SECTOR, PRICE INFORMATION, SUPPLY CHAIN, RADIO FREQUENCY, IMAGES, NEW MARKETS, PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, INFORMATION PROVISION, BACKBONE, RESULT, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ICT, RADIO COMMUNICATION, SUPPLY CHAINS, SECURITY, SILICON, E-COMMERCE APPLICATIONS, BUSINESS, NETWORK, PHONES, PERFORMANCE, TRADITIONAL MARKET, MARKET DEMAND, E-MONEY, INNOVATION, MOBILE PHONES, SECURE PAYMENTS, BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNICATION, SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, NEW TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS REGULATIONS, NUMBER OF USERS, COMMODITIES, MARKET TRANSPARENCY, CUSTOMERS, INTERFACE, DATABASE, PROFITS, COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY, TECHNOLOGIES, INFORMATION GAP, COMMODITY, TARGET, PRICES, USES, CONSUMER PROTECTION, RADIO FREQUENCY IDENTIFICATION, INNOVATIONS, USER, MIDDLEMEN