Economics of Digital Agricultural Extension A Review of ICT-based Advisory Services and Their Farm-level
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/asl.2025.1.02.03Keywords:
digital extension, ICT4Ag, agricultural advisory services, mobile phones, smallholder farmers, impact evaluation, benefit-cost analysis, technology adoptionAbstract
The proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) across the developing world has fundamentally altered the landscape of agricultural extension services. This paper provides a systematic review of empirical evidence on the economics of digital agricultural extension, synthesising findings from over 80 peer-reviewed studies and programme evaluations published between 2005 and 2024. We examine the cost structures, adoption dynamics, productivity effects, market integration outcomes, and broader welfare implications of ICT-based advisory platforms, including SMS services, interactive voice response (IVR) systems, mobile applications, video-based dissemination, and hybrid digital-human models. Our analysis reveals that digital extension channels consistently reduce the per-farmer delivery cost by 60–85% compared to conventional face-to-face advisory systems, while simultaneously expanding reach by one to three orders of magnitude. Rigorous impact evaluations report average yield gains of 8–23% and farmgate price improvements of 5–16% attributable to ICT interventions, translating into benefit-cost ratios (BCRs) ranging from 2.5:1 to 6.8:1 in smallholder contexts. However, returns are highly heterogeneous and conditioned by infrastructure quality, digital literacy, gender dynamics, crop type, and the complementarity of market institutions. We propose a multi-dimensional analytical framework for evaluating digital extension investments and offer evidence-based policy recommendations for governments, development organisations, and private-sector actors seeking to optimise farm-level returns from ICT deployment.
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