Demand-side challenges Sociocultural barriers Sociocultural norms and practices can have a monumental impact on women’s use of agritech, with women often facing gender biases, restricted mobility, limited education and discriminatory inheritance laws. These constraints hinder their ability to adopt and benefit from agritech solutions. Some of the sociocultural barriers that restrict agritech use among women include: –Perceived gender roles: Women are often seen as primary caregivers and household managers. They are, thus, perceived as unpaid workers who perform labour-intensive farm work, mainly family-run farms, with a limited role to play in decision-making. Women often have limited time to adopt new technology or develop skills because they are expected to take on the role of household manager. This restricts their use of agritech and may also restrict them from attending related training programmes. Additionally, gender roles persist within agricultural supply chains. For example, stakeholder interviews revealed that women are often relegated to specific farm tasks, such as shelling, sowing, weeding and grading. This further restricts their use of technology. There are regions where women are restricted from operating machinery, limiting their confidence in using these technologies, while in other contexts, women are steered away from using technology from an early age. –Restrictions on mobility and interfaces: Many women miss out on capacity-building programmes simply because the sessions are scheduled at inconvenient times or in locations that may not be easily accessible to them. Additionally, cultural norms and safety concerns can make women feel uncomfortable approaching male field agents, preferring to interact with female agents instead. This limits their ability to engage with agritech services. Access to resources In addition to the sociocultural challenges, women find barriers to accessing crucial resources, which impedes their ability to adopt agritech. There are four critical resources, limited access to which restricts women from adopting agritech: –Land ownership: Land is an important asset for agriculture production, but women face significant barriers to owning and controlling it. Across nations, cultural and legal norms favour male inheritance, which limits women’s ability to own land. For instance, the proportion of women involved in agriculture who own land is notably low, with ownership rates ranging from 4.8% in Bangladesh to 12.8% in India and less than 20% in Nigeria, Tajikistan and Peru.18 In many regions, owning land is a prerequisite to being recognized as a farmer and accessing government agricultural schemes. Without land, people are instead classified as agricultural labourers. Due to these restrictions, many women end up working as unpaid family members or as hired labourers on other people’s farms with limited decision-making power related to technology adoption. –Financial services: Women struggle to obtain formal credit from commercial banks due to a lack of collateral (mainly due to limited land ownership), which prevents them from fully participating in income-generating activities or investing or paying for technologies. Only 22% of rural bank account holders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are women.19 –Smartphones: In LMICs, women are 13% less likely to own a smartphone than men and 15% less likely to use mobile data.20 Women often cite cost and digital literacy as challenges to owning and accessing a smartphone. In most cases, women may have less expensive, basic feature phones but not smartphones, restricting access to digital applications, resources, market data or agriculture support services. –Formal identification: Women are less likely than men to have formal identification.21 The absence of formal identification complicates compliance with know-your-customer (KYC) requirements. This makes it difficult for women to register for digital services related to digital payments, market access, finance or even input supply. Digital literacy barriers The educational gap underscores the broader challenges women face in accessing and using technology. Girls’ enrolment and completion rates are highest at the primary education level, but these rates decline as they advance to higher levels of education. In low-income countries, girls have a primary school enrolment rate of just 78%, compared to the global average of 88%. For secondary education, 31% of girls in these regions are enrolled, compared to the global average of 66%.22 This educational divide is further amplified when considering digital literacy, a critical skill for adopting technologies such as agritech. Even when women have access to smartphones, they often feel uncomfortable and lack confidence in using it.1 23 Agritech for Women Farmers: A Business Case for Inclusive Growth 10

Agritech for Women Farmers 2024