Digital agency: Empowering farmers to co-create knowledge on agroecology practices

KEY MESSAGES
– Digital tools are an increasingly common approach to providing agricultural advisories, yet often many farmers do not participate in digital knowledge systems.
– Conventional approaches for analyzing digital inclusion focus on internet access, digital literacy, and benefit inequalities, and overlook agroecology values such as co-creation of knowledge, agency, and empowerment.
– Co-creation of knowledge is a continuous process in which those participating need to have real influence. If not, the power stays with the technology developers.
– Combining knowledge that is co-created by many diverse people and data and information from digital tools leads to responsible hybrid collective intelligence.
– Features of digital tools that support co-creation of knowledge, digital agency, and scaling of agroecology practices include that they enable knowledge integration, two-way communication, inclusive access, and responsible use.
– A step-wise approach is needed to develop digital resources that enable farmers’ digital agency and support the scaling of agroecological practices.

McCampbell, M.; Dittmer, K.M.; Shelton, S.; Wollenberg, E..