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

Linda Kleemann and Finn Ole Semrau

Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy from Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel)

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.

Keywords: ICT4D; Digital divide; Social ties; Extension services; Agricultural rural development (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O1 O3 Q19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-agr, nep-dev, nep-ict and nep-soc
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:ifwkie:318202

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2025.123985

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