[ICDE Report] Farming Alone? Rethinking Digital Platforms, Collective Action, and Agricultural Mechanization in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cite this Report:

Cieslik, Katarzyna. 2025. “Farming Alone? Rethinking Digital Platforms, Collective Action, and Agricultural Mechanization in Sub-Saharan Africa” Institute for the Cooperative Economy. New York City.

Katarzyna Cieslik’s report for the Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) critically examines how digital platforms shape access to agricultural mechanization among smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Grounded in field research from Ghana and Kenya, the report emphasizes the structural misalignment between most tech-driven agricultural apps and the collective realities of smallholder farming. Cieslik argues that while digital tools like “Uber for tractors” promise efficiency, they often fail to serve smallholders due to design biases favoring individual users, infrastructural limitations, and affordability barriers. By reframing digital platforms as tools for enabling collective action rather than individualized service delivery, the report challenges dominant narratives in agri-tech innovation and advocates for participatory, context-driven solutions rooted in cooperative structures.

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About Katarzyna Cieslik