Smallholder farmers play a key role in food production globally, yet they face a number of challenges that have an impact on livelihoods, including poor access to services, markets and assets. For farmers with disabilities, there are even greater barriers to inclusion in farming activities that can be categorized into systemic, attitudinal and environmental barriers.

While there is currently limited research on disability inclusion in the agricultural value chain, there is a growing evidence that digital agriculture solutions can empower farmers with disabilities and support them as they participate and engage in socioeconomic activities.

For the agricultural sector, digital solutions can address barriers for farmers with disabilities and improve how agribusinesses and farmers interact. The current growing focus on enabling better access to markets, through e-commerce and digital procurement solutions, as well as on mobile money services, have expanded the ways in which we can address these barriers.

For the first time, a report by GSMA, titled Inclusive Digital Agriculture: Making Value Chains Work for Farmers with Disabilities, provides evidence of the barriers facing farmers with disabilities in the agricultural value chain in low- and middle-income countries and explores the opportunities to support disability inclusion in agriculture through digital tools, offering farmers with disabilities paths to financial inclusion.