Drivers and intensity of adoption of digital agricultural services by smallholder farmers in Ghana

Abstract

The penetration of digital technologies to enhance market participation by farmers, and intensify farmers' access to support services such as finance, farm inputs, and agricultural production information is on the rise in developing countries. However, the drivers and intensity of the adoption of these technologies by Ghanaian farmers have received little attention in policy and academic circles. This study analyzed the factors that drive the adoption and intensity of adoption of digital agricultural solutions by smallholder farmers in the Bono East Region of Ghana. The study used a survey questionnaire to collect data from 1199 randomly selected smallholder farmers in 2023. The multivariate probit model and the Heckpoisson regression model were used to analyze the drivers of different digital agricultural solutions and the intensity of adoption of these solutions, respectively. The results show that there is a joint demand for technologies that enhance access to extension services and those that accelerate access to inputs. Market-oriented solutions and agricultural extension solutions exhibited a complementary relationship. In addition to selected socio-demographic factors, the study found that membership in farmer-based organizations, access to credit, and participation in agronomic training increased farmers’ propensity to adopt different digital agricultural solutions and increased the number of solutions adopted by farmers. Receiving visits from extension officers reduced the likelihood and intensity of adopting digital agricultural solutions. The results suggest that government and development partners should enhance access to credit and promote capacity development programmes among farmers. This will capacitate them to adopt digital agricultural solutions.