Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa continues to underperform despite its vast potential, as production struggles to keep up with population growth, primarily driven by unsustainable land expansion rather than productivity gains. For example, in Kenya, maize yields have stagnated at around 1.5 metric tons (MT) per hectare since the 1990s, compared with 3.6 MT in India and 6.4 MT in China in 2022.
Limited adoption of modern technology lies at the heart of the problem. But there is growing optimism that digital solutions can help lower the cost of providing and accessing agronomic advice, quality inputs, and lucrative markets for farmers.
The first in a World Bank blog series, this post introduces a new innovative 5-year research program analyzing the effect of digital farming services (DFS) on farm productivity and jobs in Kenya.