Original title: A socio-technical mechanism of the agricultural digital divide: Ecuador within a heterogeneous Latin American context
Digital tools may help farmers manage farms and make decisions, but owning or accessing them does not guarantee better income. The article describes a chain: farmers need suitable conditions and access, then the ability and support to use technology in real farm work. That work must be economically viable, and farmers must retain a meaningful share of the value it creates. The article uses Ecuador as a case, while warning that it does not represent all of Latin America.
Imagine buying a new kitchen tool to make meals faster. It may sit unused if you cannot afford the ingredients, learn how to use it, or fit it into your routine. In this paper, the tool stands for farm technology, and the steps from getting it to using it profitably show why access alone does not guarantee that farmers benefit.
Farmers may gain access to digital tools without gaining the skills, support, or business conditions to use them profitably. Looking at who can put technology to work—and who receives the value it creates—can help institutions and agricultural businesses judge whether digital farming benefits are shared.
The abstract presents a conceptual framework in a perspective article, not evidence that a particular technology improves farm incomes. It identifies Ecuador as a focal case but does not claim that it represents Latin America. The abstract does not specify particular measurements or establish how much value farmers retain.
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A socio-technical mechanism of the agricultural digital divide: Ecuador within a heterogeneous Latin American context — Raquel Gomez, Karina Real-Avilés, Ana Arellano-Arcentales et al. — Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems — doi:10.3389/fsufs.2026.1957539
Abstract licence: CC BY
Explanation generated by Synthesis from the abstract — it is not the original paper.