A review article on the impact and challenges of mobile phone usage on agricultural production in Africa

Digitalization has been one of the most important technological advancements in the recent decades. Its impact cuts across all sectors, including agriculture. In Africa, this innovation offers possible solutions to agricultural challenges such as lack of accessibility to market information, lack of information on weather forecast and knowledge transfer which can result in significant drawbacks. Thus, this paper aims to unveil the effects and challenges of Information Communication Technology (ICT) on agricultural development in Africa, focusing on mobile phone usage. This paper uses a systematic literature review approach for identifying and screening relevant studies. After material extraction, data synthesis, and critical evaluation of 96 articles initial papers, 21 articles were included in this study. It is evident that digitalization has a positive impact on agricultural development in Africa. For instance, it improves market systems between farmers and end-users through simplified communication. It also reduces climate vulnerability and variability effect by disseminating useful climate information beforehand through radio, SMS, and mobile apps weather forecast. In order for Africa to unravel its agricultural sector's full potential, there is need for infrastructure investment including electricity provision and network availability from the service providers. In addition, the government should also strengthen policies that promote the expansion of internet connectivity both in rural and urban areas in order to stimulate the acquisition and usage of mobile phones.