The use (or not) of digital platforms by Vietnamese farmers

While the digitalization of agriculture for smallholders in, for instance, India and many African countries is happening through digital platforms, digitalization in Vietnamese agriculture is occurring with a striking absence of platforms. While platforms have rapidly expanded in Vietnamese cities, in farming digital services are provided without platforms. The most rapidly rising type of digital service constitutes drone (spraying) services.

In his talk, Visser presented his research which shows that there is a wide range of dynamically changing actors providing drone services - cooperatives, middlemen and large companies. This raises the question: why is digital agriculture rapidly proceeding in Vietnam, without the platform dominance observed elsewhere?

His research also asks what the absence of platforms means for the benefits (e.g. autonomy, cost reduction) and risks (dependence, data ownership) of digitalization of agriculture. 

Findings

In his research, Visser finds that, while farmers widely have phones and use messaging apps, they do not use apps/platforms for digital farm services. The role of local social networks remains a crucial factor in accessing farm services, even for advanced digital technologies. 

The study indicates the potential risks associated with exacerbating inequalities, marginalization of micro-scale producers and data sovereignty, albeit in a different manner from that observed in the context of agricultural digitalization mediated by platforms, or the digitalization of agriculture in the Global North.