Design and implementation of a farmer's digital information system for sustainable agriculture among smallholder farmers in Tanzania
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Date
2025
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Faculté des Sciences de la Société de l’Université de Genève/ Sokoine University of Agriculture
Abstract
Sustainable agriculture among smallholder farmers has the potential to ensure food security and
alleviate extreme poverty in a rapidly growing population and the face of global climate change.
Additionally, smallholder farmers contribute 70% of the world's food and employ more than one
billion people, the majority of whom live in rural and semi-urban areas. However, this group of
farmers faces various challenges in adopting sustainable agriculture. We conducted a literature
review and a survey of key agricultural stakeholders in Tanzania to identify common challenges
of smallholder farmers. It was revealed that smallholder farmers lack access to essential
services, including subsidies, credit, insurance, government services, markets, and farming
information.
In this thesis, we aim to design and implement a digital framework for smallholder farmers to
access all essential services (subsidies, credit, insurance, government services, market,
warehouse services, logistics services, quality farm inputs, and farming information) under one
roof. Indeed, digital technology can play a significant role in digitizing the agricultural value chains
(AVCs) of small-scale farmers in countries of the Global South. The use of advanced digital
technologies in agriculture, including artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT),
blockchain, robotics, and big data, has enabled sustainable farming through increased
production and income, as well as enhanced environmental conservation. However, these
technologies are not accessible to smallholder farmers (the majority of whom reside in countries
in the global South) as they require high investment capital, expertise, and well-established
infrastructure. Although various digital services are available for smallholder farmers, the existing
services often lack sustainability in the agricultural context and fail to meet their needs.
We employed the Design Science Research (DSR) method to design and provide a proof of
concept of a digital platform that brings together all key agricultural stakeholders, enabling
farmers to access all essential services throughout the complete farming cycle. Moreover, we
conducted a literature review using the PRISMA guidelines to establish the state-of-the-art
technology in agriculture and the use of ICT-based services by smallholder farmers in Tanzania.
A survey method was employed as part of the DSR to collect stakeholders’ opinions on the
proposed digital artifact solution. The study follows the theories of Information and
Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D), which posits that technological
advancements should have a positive impact on people’s lives by developing solutions that work
well within the local context, rather than simply copying and pasting technology from other
contexts, such as from developed to developing countries.
As a research contribution, we identified common challenges of smallholder farmers, designed
and provided a proof of concept of a Farmers' Digital Information System (FDIS) that integrates
services from different stakeholders, including farmers, agro-dealers, warehouses, logistics
companies, subsidies, advisory services, market, credit, insurance, and government(permit)
services. We expect our findings will help governments, the private sector, and policymakers to
adopt and implement FDIS. This will make the agriculture sector more dynamic and help
smallholder farmers participate in sustainable agriculture.
Description
Thesis
Keywords
Sustainable agriculture, Smallholder farmers, Farmer's digital information system, Tanzania
Citation
https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:187857