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    Making smallholder value chain partnerships inclusive: exploring digital farm monitoring through farmer friendly smartphone platforms

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    Journal Article (1.153Mb)
    Date
    2020
    Author
    Agyekumhene, C.
    De Vries, J.
    Paassen, A.V.
    Schut, M.
    MacNaghten, P.
    Type
    Journal Article
    Review Status
    Peer Review
    Target Audience
    Scientists
    Metadata
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    Abstract/Description
    Value chain partnerships face difficulties achieving inclusive relations, often leading to unsustainable collaboration. Improving information flow between actors has been argued to contribute positively to a sense of inclusion in such partnership arrangements. Smallholders however usually lack the capability to use advanced communication technologies such as smartphones which offer a means for elaborate forms of information exchange. This study explores to what extent co-designing smartphone platforms with smallholders for farm monitoring contributes to smallholder ability to communicate, and how this influences smallholder sense of inclusion. The study uses an Action Design Research approach in engaging smallholders in Ghana, through multi-stakeholder and focus group discussions, in a reflexive co-design process. The research finds that co-designing a platform interface was significant in improving farmer ability to comprehend and use smartphone based platforms for communicating farm conditions and their needs with value chain partners. Farmers were however skeptical of making demands based on the platform due to their lack of power and mistrust of other actors. This highlights a need for adjusting the social and political dimensions of partnership interactions, in tandem with the advancement of digital tools, in order to effectively facilitate a sense of inclusiveness in partnerships.
    https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12114580
    Multi standard citation
    Permanent link to this item
    https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/7656
    IITA Authors ORCID
    Marc Schuthttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-3361-4581
    Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
    https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su12114580
    Research Themes
    Social Science and Agribusiness
    IITA Subjects
    Agribusiness; Livelihoods; Smallholder Farmers; Value Chains
    Agrovoc Terms
    Collaboration; Partnerships; Value Chain; Smallholders; Ghana
    Regions
    Africa; West Africa
    Countries
    Ghana
    Hubs
    Central Africa Hub
    Journals
    Sustainability
    Collections
    • Journal and Journal Articles4835
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