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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR AGRICULTURE (ICT4Ag) IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A BIBLIOMETRICS PERSPECTIVE BASED ON WEB OF SCIENCE DATA, 1991–2018
Onyancha, OB & Onyango, EA
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to assess research articles published on ICT4Ag in sub-Saharan Africa, with a view to determining the application of information and
communication technologies (ICTs) in the agricultural sector in the region. The
agricultural sector in sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most important sectors that have
greatly benefited from the application of ICTs. Research on the application of ICTs is
rapidly expanding and therefore requires synthesis to gauge the extent of publication, the
subject focus of the research on ICTs for agriculture (hereafter simply referred to as
ICT4Ag), and the trend of publication and countries contributing to research on ICT4Ag
in sub-Saharan African countries. Relevant data were obtained from the Web of Science
(WoS) citation databases using a search query, which combined a variety of agricultural
terms and several key, words that constitute ICTs. It was found that ICTs are largely
applied for communication and dissemination of agricultural information to and among
stakeholders, including farmers and extension workers. Areas of application involve land
use, crops [production], animal husbandry, conservation, [soil and crop] management,
and climate change. In terms of the broad disciplinary context, the application of ICTs
in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa occurs mostly in agronomy, environmental sciences,
and dairy and animal science. Although only a few specific names of ICTs were found
in the literature on agriculture, ICT-led activities and applications such as remote
sensing, GIS, computer programs, software, Landsat, and information systems, among
others, provided insight into not only the areas but also the nature of ICT application in
agriculture in the region. The internet, radio, computers and mobile phones were among
the few types of ICTs that featured in the ICT4Ag literature and are, therefore, deemed
to be the commonly used in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Concerning the foreign
countries that have collaborated with sub-Saharan Africa in ICT4Ag research, the USA,
France and England featured the most, thereby signalling the continuation of colonial
legacies in the region. Furthermore, the pattern of collaboration may signal the nature of
knowledge and innovation diffusion for ICT4Ag in sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, results
reveal a diversity of areas of ICT application in agriculture in the region. The study makes
recommendations for further research in other geographical regions for comparison
purposes; a study to explore other bibliographic databases such as Scopus; and a study
to assess the impact of the ICTs on agricultural performance of the affected countries.
Keywords
Sub-Saharan Africa; Information technologies; Innovations; ICTs; ICT4Ag; Agriculture; Farming; Bibliometrics
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