Introduction
In this chapter, set against the backdrop of the history of agricultural modernisation in the Global South and the persistent idea of a ‘technological fix’ (Weinberg 1966) to agricultural problems, we take a critical look at the emerging agricultural futures associated with the current turn to digital technologies. Based on a document analysis as well as ethnographic research at agricultural fairs, conferences, online courses and on farms in Kenya and Tanzania, we show how the (re)emerging belief in technological solutions is inscribed in the design of concrete events and projects. We focus on the implications this has in terms of new actors, new visions, and new mechanisms of agricultural development, contributing to a better understanding of the specific ways in which agricultural futures are currently being transformed, not only by new technologies, but also by changing the character of related development practices.
The rapid spread of mobile information and communication technologies in Africa has spurred new hopes for development. With the ‘African lions going digital’, McKinsey stated in one of its recent reports that, ‘if governments and the private sector continue to build the right foundation, the internet could transform sectors as diverse as agriculture, retail, and health care – and contribute as much as $300 billion a year to Africa’s GDP by 2025’ (Preface to McKinsey 2013). In general, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been hailed as the perfect ‘development’ tools as they are relatively cheap in terms of investment and infrastructure – according to the Economist (Feb 7, 2008) they do not require roads, telephone lines, constant power supply or highly trained personnel. This way, countries that have not built on longer-term, investment-intensive technological infrastructures such as fixed-line telephony are now expected to ‘leapfrog’ (Howard 2007: 151) this phase of development and directly benefit from the speed and extent to which the latest low-cost technologies such as mobile phones are disseminated and enable even very remote rural areas to become ‘information societies’ (Gunasekaran and Harmantzis 2007, Banerjee and Annuar 1999) – which is regarded as a prerequisite for improvements in education, healthcare, greater equality, justice, democracy, and the eradication of hunger (Fong 2009b : 472).
This, however, may sound overly optimistic to most scholars who have engaged with the digital transformation in African countries. In light of numerous examples, scholars have been able to show that the idea, concepts and applications of ICT in ‘development’ projects often do not take the local contexts into account, work from the top down, are poorly financed and are hardly tailored to the needs of the target groups, but follow economic interests and global power structures instead (see e.g. Unwin 2009, Murphy and Carmody 2015). Nevertheless, it is clear that mobile information and communication technologies (ICT) have indeed come to play an important role as a communication tool in everyday life, as well as in attempts to foster ‘development’.
In terms of agricultural development, worldwide, technology firms are currently trying to develop innovative approaches to use technological advances for tackling agricultural challenges and to increase productivity. In the Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2019, agricultural technology has been identified as the sector with one of the highest growth rates, at 8.3 per cent, next to robotics, blockchain technology, artificial intelligence, and big-data analytics. While these startups are mainly situated in North America, Europe, and the Middle East, some of them are also involved in agricultural development projects in Africa, often to test new technologies and collect experiences outside of the fields and greenhouses of high-tech agricultural businesses.
This recent dynamic is embedded in a longer history of agricultural modernization in the Global South. The continuous search for technological solutions targets agricultural development as the backbone of developing countries’ economies – from state-led implementations of massive infrastructures such as plantations, irrigation schemes, and mechanization, e.g. through tractors, to improved and chemical inputs as part of the ‘Green Revolution’, to mobile phone applications, the use of tablets, and various sensor technologies to improve agricultural productivity and resilience also for smallholder farmers (Scott 1998, Coulson 2013, Brockington and Noe 2021). Against the background of this history of agricultural modernisation in the Global South and the persistent idea of a ‘technological fix’ (Weinberg 1966) for agricultural problems, in this chapter we take a critical perspective on the emerging agricultural futures associated with the current turn towards digital technologies. Drawing on a document analysis as well as ethnographic research at agricultural fairs, conferences, online courses, and on farms in Kenya and Tanzania, we show how the (re)new(ed) belief in a ‘technological fix’ becomes inscribed in the design of concrete events and projects. Focusing on the implications this has with regard to new actors, new visions, and new mechanisms of agricultural development, we thus contribute to a better understanding of the specific ways in which agricultural futures are currently transformed, not just through new technologies but also through a new character of development practice associated with them.