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Paper short abstract

Digital agriculture in Ghana aims to modernize farming and tackle youth unemployment, but current models favor commercial scalability over rural youth inclusion. This study reviews policies and evidence, highlighting gaps and proposing inclusive, youth-centered strategies.

Paper long abstract

Digital agriculture is widely promoted in Ghana as a means to modernize farming and reduce youth unemployment. However, evidence from sub-Saharan Africa shows that digitalization often prioritizes commercial scalability over inclusivity, sidelining rural and smallholder youth. This study critically examines Ghana’s digital agriculture ecosystem through a youth inclusion lens, drawing on policy reviews, empirical literature, program reports, and practitioner insights. Using thematic analysis, it explores patterns of inclusion, exclusion, agency, and power, focusing on how institutional arrangements, policy incentives, and market-driven models shape youth participation.

Findings reveal significant gaps between policy ambitions and practice, including poor rural connectivity, high costs of data and devices, limited digital literacy support, weak integration of youth perspectives in design, gender and class inequalities, and fragmented institutional coordination. These factors tend to benefit profit-oriented agri-tech platforms and better-resourced youth, while marginalizing rural youth.

The study proposes actionable policy pathways: youth co-design mechanisms in digital initiatives; inclusive public–private partnerships prioritizing affordability and social value; strengthened extension systems with integrated digital literacy; youth-sensitive data governance; and targeted innovation funding for youth-led agri-digital solutions.

The study further contributes to debates on inclusive rural transformation and offers policy-relevant insights for Ghana and similar contexts by framing digital agriculture as a governance and justice challenge rather than a purely technological one.