Datafying African Agriculture: From Data Governance to Farmers’ Rights

This article explores the impact of digital agricultural technologies on African agricultural systems. As we describe, the datafication of African agricultural systems is poised to reshape agrarian power relations significantly. We examine the risks of datafication through a case study of Kenya, a hub for digitalization on the African continent. While Kenya leads in developing data governance policies, the current emphasis on personal privacy overlooks collective risks for smallholder farmers. We advocate for a paradigm shift towards a framework that prioritizes farmers’ rights and fosters participatory data governance, placing farmers at the center of decision-making processes to address underlying power imbalances.