Digital Agriculture and the Gender Divide: Opportunities, Risks and Inclusion

This chapter examines the role of digital agriculture in improving agricultural productivity, market access, climate adaptation and rural livelihoods, while highlighting the gender divide that restricts women’s participation. It discusses digital tools such as mobile advisories, weather information services, e-commerce platforms, digital payments, artificial intelligence, remote sensing, drones, sensors, online extension and farm-data systems. These technologies can support women farmers by reducing information gaps, improving access to markets, enabling financial transactions and strengthening climate-risk management. However, the chapter warns that digital agriculture may deepen inequality when women lack access to smartphones, reliable connectivity, digital literacy, financial autonomy, privacy, language support and control over devices. Women may use phones owned by male family members, limiting independent access to advisories, payments, market information and data services. The chapter also addresses risks related to data ownership, online fraud, exclusion of older and low-literacy users, and technology design that ignores women’s practical needs. It recommends affordable devices, local-language content, digital literacy programmes, women-led digital facilitation, privacy safeguards, accessible platforms and institutional support. The chapter concludes that digital agriculture becomes gender-inclusive only when women have meaningful access, control, confidence, safety and economic benefit.