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The Nature of Digital Extension Services in the Developing World

Mackenzie, Elliot LU (2022) EKHS34 20221
Department of Economic History
Abstract
The rapid diffusion of mobile phones and the internet in Kenya is hoped to be an effective solution
to meeting the crucial information needs of smallholder farmers to improve their economic and
environmental resilience. This thesis conducts a case study based on interviews with actors who
provide digital agricultural extension services to farmers in Kenya to assess the Agricultural
Innovation System (AIS), and its features and current trajectory. It finds that the sector constitutes
the stagnation phase of an opportunity-driven trajectory. Vital to the AIS is the role of international
donors and NGOs, who have fueled the rapid growth of digital extension services leading to a
heavily saturated and fragmented sector, whereby... (More)
The rapid diffusion of mobile phones and the internet in Kenya is hoped to be an effective solution
to meeting the crucial information needs of smallholder farmers to improve their economic and
environmental resilience. This thesis conducts a case study based on interviews with actors who
provide digital agricultural extension services to farmers in Kenya to assess the Agricultural
Innovation System (AIS), and its features and current trajectory. It finds that the sector constitutes
the stagnation phase of an opportunity-driven trajectory. Vital to the AIS is the role of international
donors and NGOs, who have fueled the rapid growth of digital extension services leading to a
heavily saturated and fragmented sector, whereby collaboration mirrors the cyclical and short-term
nature of donor funding and NGO projects. Networks amongst Kenyan actors are rarely sustained
without international involvement, and the emphasis on funding towards a social impact, however
important, has neglected the financial sustainability of the services. The building of trust across
actors, and especially smallholder farmers, is hampered as the high turnover in the sector leads to
fatigue due to the constant registration required to utilize services and a growing digital confusion
resulting from the superfluous number of digital services and the lack of coordination between
them. The public sector was found to be passively supportive in terms of the underlying ICT
infrastructure in Kenya but not well-aligned with the needs of the private sector and the digital
extension services themselves due to a pervading lack of trust between both sectors. Digitalization
was found to also provide creative opportunities for interaction with smallholder farmers to
improve inclusivity in the sector, yet in-person interaction is still viewed as vital in this regard.
Conventional roles occupied within the agricultural value chain, such as intermediaries and
extension officers, were not transformed by digitalization as has been posited, rather the tasks
associated with their roles have been redefined rather than replaced. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mackenzie, Elliot LU
supervisor
organization
course
EKHS34 20221
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
language
English
id
9092488
date added to LUP
2022-06-28 10:10:33
date last changed
2022-06-28 10:10:33
@misc{9092488,
  abstract     = {{The rapid diffusion of mobile phones and the internet in Kenya is hoped to be an effective solution
to meeting the crucial information needs of smallholder farmers to improve their economic and
environmental resilience. This thesis conducts a case study based on interviews with actors who
provide digital agricultural extension services to farmers in Kenya to assess the Agricultural
Innovation System (AIS), and its features and current trajectory. It finds that the sector constitutes
the stagnation phase of an opportunity-driven trajectory. Vital to the AIS is the role of international
donors and NGOs, who have fueled the rapid growth of digital extension services leading to a
heavily saturated and fragmented sector, whereby collaboration mirrors the cyclical and short-term
nature of donor funding and NGO projects. Networks amongst Kenyan actors are rarely sustained
without international involvement, and the emphasis on funding towards a social impact, however
important, has neglected the financial sustainability of the services. The building of trust across
actors, and especially smallholder farmers, is hampered as the high turnover in the sector leads to
fatigue due to the constant registration required to utilize services and a growing digital confusion
resulting from the superfluous number of digital services and the lack of coordination between
them. The public sector was found to be passively supportive in terms of the underlying ICT
infrastructure in Kenya but not well-aligned with the needs of the private sector and the digital
extension services themselves due to a pervading lack of trust between both sectors. Digitalization
was found to also provide creative opportunities for interaction with smallholder farmers to
improve inclusivity in the sector, yet in-person interaction is still viewed as vital in this regard.
Conventional roles occupied within the agricultural value chain, such as intermediaries and
extension officers, were not transformed by digitalization as has been posited, rather the tasks
associated with their roles have been redefined rather than replaced.}},
  author       = {{Mackenzie, Elliot}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Nature of Digital Extension Services in the Developing World}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}