| Title | Chapter 6: Digital divide in the agriculture sector for small-scale rural farmers in South Africa |
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| DOI | https://doi.org/10.4102/aosis.2025.BK494.06 |
| Landing page | https://books.aosis.co.za/index.php/ob/catalog/book/494 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Nobert R Jere, Gardner Mwansa, Memory Ranga, Attlee M Gamundani & Pardon B Maoneke (eds.) Licensee: AOSIS (Pty) Ltd. The moral right of the editors and authors has been asserted. |
| Publisher | AOSIS |
| Published on | 2025-04-11 |
| Long abstract | The results revealed a lack of capacity regarding technological knowledge and infrastructure among participants to effectively use the emerging technologies associated with e-agriculture. Although 48% of the participants believed e-agriculture technologies would enhance their farming activities, the complexity factor indicated that 88% of the farmers lack access to necessary information and communication technology (ICT) tools, such as laptops and personal computers, which some of the emerging e-agriculture technologies rely on. E-skills and access to these technologies are crucial for enhancing the efficiency of rural small-scale farmers amid the e-agriculture revolution. Therefore, the study recommends developing a training programme by the municipal sector responsible for promoting rural agricultural development to provide e-skills to small-scale farmers in the study area. Additionally, the government sector responsible for promoting agriculture in Raymond Mhlaba Local District Municipality rural areas should assist farmers through grants for farming inputs to acquire the necessary e-agriculture technologies to boost their productivity. This chapter highlights the practical implication that policy developers and agencies supporting rural agriculture need to make actionable decisions. |
| Print length | 17 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
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Agyei Fosu is a faculty member in the Department of Business Application Development at Walter Sisulu University, South Africa. Fosu’s primary research focuses on the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) in agriculture, business and education. Throughout his career, he has significantly contributed to academic literature, with over 30 published research papers. He has also presented his work at prestigious international conferences, including those at Oxford University in the United Kingdom (UK) and Harvard University in the United States of America (USA). In addition to his research papers, he is the author of two books and has been invited to speak at numerous conferences. In recognition of his academic contributions, he received the Walter Sisulu University Vice-Chancellor’s Merit Award in 2022, honouring him as the most productive researcher of the year.