Closing the gender gap through ICT in small scale farming: Towards achieving sustainable development goals

Abstract

This study focuses on the opportunities that the Fourth Indstrial Revolution, through Information and Communication Technologies have on female, small scale farmers. Regardless of the fact that there is substantial potential to harness the fourth industrial revolution towards gender equality in extension, there is negligible innovation in the extension services in developing countries. Female farmers find it difficult to access ICTs. Extension and research services are also heavily biased towards male, well-resourced farmers and the majority are able to make use information technologies and are three times more likely to get grants than women. These gender differentials buffer the possibility of achieving the sustainable  development goals of gender equality. Although literature is replete with studies that interrogate gender inequality, little attention, if any has  focused on how bridging gender gaps in extension can be instrumental in achieving the sustainable development goals as stressed by this study. Using the document analysis, this study managed to find a number of key elements that hinder gender equality among female small scale farmers in Masvingo. The study found that from the government level, no funds are disbursed towards facilitation of ICTs in rural areas. In rural Masvingo, internet connectivity is not available and there is little infrastructure for mobile phone network as well. While internet is available in urban areas, it is expensive and fewer women than men have access to internet. Rural women are faced with difficulties that include unaffordability to buy data as well as the physical distances that they may have to travel to get internet. Having empirical evidence of the characteristics of gender differentials in ICTs among rural farmers is critical in addressing these challenges in pursuit of the sustainable development goals. It can be noted that gender differentials are persistent in ICTs. There is a genuine cause for concern that women face the risk of being left behind by the Fourth  Revolution if the pertinent issues affecting them are left unresolved. The implications therefore are continued gender related poverty