The Role of Digital Platforms in Disrupting Agricultural Value Chains in Developing Countries

Abstract

Mobile devices and the platforms they support are increasingly being mainstreamed into agricultural value chains. While the extant literature on the use of mobile devices for agriculture has focused on their use for the provision of m-services through short messaging services (SMS), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) and voice calls, there is growing evidence of the adoption and use of a new wave of digital platforms (mobile apps, web apps and online databases) in agricultural value chains in developing regions. As debates on the disruptive potential of digital platforms in agriculture are still at a nascent stage, this scoping review investigates the current research landscape on the use of digital platforms in agricultural value chains in developing regions. An assessment of the 26 digital platforms identified through the review show their potential to cause change in a number of value chain processes. However, the review reveals certain methodological shortcomings and a dearth of empirical evidence to support claims of significant disruptive impact.