Connecting the unconnected? Social ties and ICT adoption among smallholder farmers in developing countries

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) can reduce information asymmetries and thereby promote rural development for smallholder farmers in developing countries. Despite rising adoption rates of ICTs, many smallholders remain information constraint. Using panel data from 12,456 smallholder households across 12 developing countries, we analyze the role of social ties in determining ICT adoption and access to agricultural extension services. We find that weak social ties significantly reduce ICT adoption and access to agricultural advice, increasing information inequality. Moreover, ICT adoption, strong social ties and extension services positively correlate with agricultural productivity. Our findings highlight that ICTs, while transformative, may reinforce existing inequalities by marginalizing already disadvantaged smallholders. • ICTs hold potential for rural development in developing countries. • We analyze how social ties determine the adoption of ICTs to understand usage gaps. • Social ties strongly influence mobile phone and internet access. • Weak social ties also hinder access to extension services, exacerbating inequalities. • Information access is associated with higher agricultural productivity.