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

McCampbell, M.; Dittmer, K.M.; Shelton, S.; Wollenberg, E.. (2025) Digital agency: Empowering farmers to co-create knowledge on agroecology practices. Agroecological TRANSITIONS: Inclusive digital tools to enable climate-informed agroecological transitions. (ATDT). Cali (Colombia): Bioversity International and International Center for Tropical Agriculture. 7 p.

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.