Disruptive technologies in agricultural value chains: Insights from East Africa

Krishnan, A, Banga, K and Mendez-Parra, M

2020

Global food demand is expected to increase by somewhere between 59% and 98% by 2050 as the world population reaches an estimated 9.7 billion. Food production is especially critical in Africa, where over 70% of the population rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Against a backdrop of the rapid dwindling of agricultural productivity, the exclusion of women from the work force and the threat of climate change, an increase in the use of agricultural technologies – AgriTech – could help reduce livelihood loss and support inclusive economic transformation. This working paper explores the implications of the digitalisation of agriculture, with a focus on East Africa. It addresses the following key questions: What is AgriTech? What prevents adoption of AgriTech? What does disruption mean within AgriTech? What are the pathways through which AgriTech may disrupt livelihoods and support transformation?

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University of Manchester

Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex