In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the digitisation of agricultural value chains is enabling access to markets, assets and services for small-scale producers. Digital solutions such as online platforms providing access to farm inputs create efficiencies for both agribusinesses and farmers in the last mile. For example, in animal health, digital procurement solutions can also be bundled with digital advisory services that provide farmers with vital information on livestock disease management.

Women make up at least 43 per cent of the agricultural labour force in developing countries, but they are restricted by social norms and lack of access to resources which may enable them to benefit from digital services. Even though there has been an increase of mobile phone and internet adoption by women, the mobile gender gap is still relatively low at 8%. Women farmers working in agricultural value chains still lack the basic means to access digital services than men, reducing their likelihood of accessing and using digital agriculture solutions. And yet, most of these value chains are increasingly going digital, hindering even more women’s opportunities of progression. So how do we address this challenge and make the technologies more  inclusive?

Key to getting more women to adopt digital technologies is digital literacy training. Digital technology providers and projects need to increase both skills and functionality of these technologies for women farmers so they can use them efficiently, safely, and to their full potential.   

Projects also need to assess which services can best accommodate women farmers and women-led agribusinesses – and it is essential to work with women when rolling out these technologies. For example, information on small animal disease management and poultry could be one area that women are more likely to be interested in and benefit from.

Improving the user experience for female farmers, whether that’s by providing content in a variety of languages or creating a ticket system where female farmers can report difficulty using the services, will also significantly improve adoption by women.

Additionally, including other family members in digital literacy training and adoption, and providing engagement opportunities for male farmers to understand the value of women’s inclusion in digital agriculture services is also important.

GALVmed and partners are working on some crucial animal health digital platforms including a Market Intelligence Platform which is an online platform to address the lack of market data in Africa, and a tele-medicine/digital services app specifically catering for African small scale livestock producers. The telemedicine app will enable remote livestock care, and another complementing app for clinical sign recognition uses images of livestock diseases and symptoms to increase the accuracy of diagnosis.

As we move closer to rolling out these platforms and apps for use by small-scale producers, it is important to be gender aware of how they can be targeted to include female livestock producers, so no one is left behind. As the world works towards building more sustainable and resilient food systems, it is essential to include and empower women farmers to play their critical role in feeding the world. Digital technologies can empower women and promote gender equality in the agricultural sector and inclusion is very crucial now more than ever.

This blog has been written by Beatrice Ouma as part of the International Women’s Day 2025

Photo credit: Agnexus/Envato