Will Digital Technologies Transform Agriculture in Developing Countries?

Deichmann, Uwe ; Goyal, Aparajita ; Mishra, Deepak

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: FINANCIAL SERVICES;    EXPORT MARKETS;    INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION;    PROTOTYPE;    COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7669
RP-ID  :  WPS7669

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Mobile phones and the internet havesignificantly affected practically all sectors of theeconomy, and agriculture is no exception. Building on arecent World Bank flagship report, this paper introduces aconcise framework for describing the main benefits from newinformation and communications technologies. They promotegreater inclusion in the broader economy, raise efficiencyby complementing other production factors, and fosterinnovation by dramatically reducing transaction costs. Thepaper reviews the recent literature on correspondingtechnology impacts in the rural sector in developingcountries. Digital technologies overcome informationproblems that hinder market access for many small-scalefarmers, increase knowledge through new ways of providingextension services, and they provide novel ways forimproving agricultural supply chain management. Althoughthere are many promising examples of positive impacts onrural livelihoods--or "digital dividends"--oftenthese have not scaled up to the extent expected. The mainreason is that technology can only address some, but notall, of the barriers faced by farmers in the poorer countries.