A newly released study by Fairbairn et al. (2025) is raising alarm bells across the global agricultural and technology sectors. Its central message is bold and urgent: digital agriculture, if not fundamentally reimagined from the grassroots, risks deepening social and economic inequality--particularly for smallholder farmers in the Global South.
The report offers a wide-ranging critique of the current trajectory of agtech development, pointing to the dominance of corporate interests, the oversimplification of complex challenges through "techno-solutionism," and the reproduction of colonial-era power dynamics through digital platforms and data systems.
A wake-up call for Agtech
Described by early readers as "provocative" and "long overdue," the study urges policymakers, innovators, and investors to reconsider the governance and direction of digital agriculture. It calls for a radical shift: one that centers the voices, needs, and knowledge of smallholder farmers and Digital Agriculture at a crossroads: New study warns of growing inequality without ground-up reform
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A newly released study by Fairbairn et al. (2025) is raising alarm bells across the global agricultural and technology sectors. Its central message is bold and urgent: digital agriculture, if not fundamentally reimagined from the grassroots, risks deepening social and economic inequality--particularly for smallholder farmers in the Global South.
The report offers a wide-ranging critique of the current trajectory of agtech development, pointing to the dominance of corporate interests, the oversimplification of complex challenges through "techno-solutionism," and the reproduction of colonial-era power dynamics through digital platforms and data systems.
Far from rejecting technology, the authors advocate for bottom-up innovation models that prioritize inclusivity and equity. They highlight grassroots examples--from open-source farm software to community-driven use of social media--as evidence that digital tools can empower when developed with local realities in mind.
Widening inequality in the name of progress?
Drawing from the study by Fairbairn et al. (2025), the promise of digital agriculture is challenged by the significant risk of widening inequality. As a digital agriculture specialist, I concur that despite its revolutionary potential, current models are already creating disparities.
This exclusion occurs through interconnected pathways including one, the digital divide and access barriers prevent many farmers from participating due to a lack of technology access, digital literacy, and tailored information. Two, financial exclusion further marginalizes smallholders as digital tools are often costly, access to digital finance is limited by tech adoption, and digital marketplaces can favor larger producers. The third issue is data control and ownership that create vulnerabilities for farmers who may face data exploitation, lack legal protection for their data, and receive biased algorithmic advice. Fourth, the push for digital agriculture risks the loss of traditional knowledge by devaluing indigenous practices and offering one-size-fits-all solutions that ignore diverse local contexts. Lastly the Power imbalances and new dependencies that arise as corporate-controlled platforms and weak regulatory frameworks can leave smallholders vulnerable to exploitation.
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Call to Action
I propose a blueprint for inclusive innovation that centers on several key strategies: developing accessible and affordable tools specifically designed for smallholder farmers; investing in tailored digital literacy programs to empower farmers; enacting robust policies to protect data rights, ensuring privacy and transparency; designing inclusive business models that cater to both small and large-scale producers; respecting and integrating traditional knowledge with digital innovations; and building local capacity to lead the development of digital agriculture initiatives.
The enthusiasm for digital agriculture must be tempered with a critical examination of who benefits and who is marginalized. Urgent action is needed to reimagine digital agriculture from the grassroots level to prevent the digital divide in agriculture from becoming insurmountable.
The writer is a Digital Agriculture expert
