Creating Responsible Innovation in sub-Saharan Africa’s Digital Agricultural. A Case Study Approach

This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing conceptual debate on Responsible Innovation, and its application to the smallholder farmer context in sub-Saharan Africa. Currently the continent is facing stagnant growth within its agricultural sector. Advanced digital technologies such as smart farming and precision agriculture are being pushed as the fix-all solution to stimulating growth. However, little attention has been paid to its appropriateness or the potential socio-ethical impact such technology might bring to the sector and smallholder farming communities. Therefore, this study set out to answer the following research question: How do agricultural organisations create responsible innovation using digital media within the farming sector in sub-Saharan Africa? Based on a qualitative case study of the hybrid seed developer, East-West Seed, it was possible to identify the role of digital media within the organisation’s activities and how these digital tools could facilitate Responsible Innovation in the agricultural sector. The findings suggest that effective innovative solutions do not just have to come from novel technologies but from the novel application of existing technologies into new contexts. Simple ICT technologies such as radio and mobile phones were found to assist the organisation in overcoming longentrenched structural barriers such as poor infrastructure as well as lack of access to markets, capital, government support and knowledge, which currently plague the sub-Saharan African context. Radio’s broad reach and accessibility was found to be an inclusive medium for sharing knowledge and allowing farmers to learn from each other. Social media was identified as an effective tool for enabling the inclusion of youths and assisting the innovation process to respond challenges and reflect on future trajectories. Finally, the ability of mobile learning apps to tailor their content to specific contexts, as well as their combination of text and internet were found to be useful for suitably replacing in-person visits from technical officers. However, for agricultural organisations to fully drive innovations that are ethical, resilient, and sustainable, this study showed that a broader conception of inclusion along gender-based terms as well as a greater emphasis on anticipating potential impact is needed. This study can therefore serve as a next step in the theoretical and practical development of responsible within the agricultural sector.