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Around the world, farmers and agriculturalists are turning to social media: from finding information on farming practices, to sourcing products via Facebook, to seeking crowdfunding or WhatsApp credit ratings, to providing paid advisory or training services, to landing prizes or big contracts with hotels.
Together, Caribou defines these practices as social agriculture, the ways agriculturalists use social media to support their livelihoods. Social agriculture is taking off in countries with a high proportion of their workforce in agriculture.
- In Kenya, groups on social platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are important sources of information, market-making, and peer-to-peer support.
- In Senegal, agripreneurs in post-production value chains use social media to support advisory services, foster innovation, and diversify income streams.
- In Ghana and Nigeria, social platforms are transforming agricultural value chains “from farm to fork.”
Even as social agriculture offers opportunities, it also presents challenges. These opportunities are not equally available to all; women and agriculturalists in rural areas face obstacles such as the digital divide and social norms. As social agriculture depends on private digital infrastructure like Meta apps, social agriculture is vulnerable to shifting markets and state control. And trust deficits persist, especially in digital financial systems.
