Economics, Governance, and Sustainability of Digital Agricultural Service Ecosystems

Agricultural systems are experiencing a swift digital transformation driven by ICTs — including mobile advisory platforms, digital financial services, remote sensing, geospatial systems, AI, and data-driven decision-support tools — progressively regarded as vital for augmenting agricultural productivity, reinforcing climate resilience, advancing food security, and bolstering rural livelihoods, especially within smallholder farming systems in developing regions. Digitalization in agriculture is no longer confined to isolated advisory services; it is fostering comprehensive digital agricultural service ecosystems: interconnected networks of platforms, advisory systems, financial services, market linkages, climate information systems, data infrastructures, and institutional stakeholders that collectively influence agricultural production, market engagement, risk management, and rural development.These ecosystems present significant opportunities alongside complex challenges. ICT-enabled services have demonstrated the potential to mitigate information asymmetries, enhance market access, support climate adaptation, and broaden service access in regions with limited institutional capacity and inadequate infrastructure. Yet enduring digital divides — pertaining to gender, geography, literacy, affordability, and infrastructure — continue to drive unequal access. The increasing platformization of agriculture raises concerns about data ownership, interoperability, market concentration, and asymmetrical power relations between technology providers and smallholder farmers, alongside questions of value allocation, risk distribution, and the sustainability implications of reliance on proprietary infrastructures. These dynamics are further amplified by climate change, food system instability, and rural out-migration, situating digital ecosystems within larger socio-ecological transformations.Despite growing interest, research remains fragmented — most studies focus on technology adoption and short-term productivity outcomes, with limited attention to ecosystem-level economics, governance, and sustainability. Key gaps persist in: economic viability, financing, and long-term sustainability of digital systems; governance of interoperability, data sharing, and accountability; distribution of benefits and value capture, particularly for smallholders; implications of platformization and public–private partnerships for inclusion and equity; and the contribution of digital ecosystems to climate resilience, food security, and rural transformation.This special issue advances a comprehensive and critical understanding of how digital agricultural ecosystems are designed, governed, financed, and sustained — especially in developing countries — generating theoretical, empirical, and policy insights on how they can promote equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient agricultural transformation.We welcome qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods contributions from economics, rural development, agricultural systems, ICT4D, sustainability, innovation, development studies, political economy, and related fields. Topics may include, but are not limited to:I. Economics and Sustainability — Economic viability, cost-effectiveness, business models, financing, public–private service delivery, value distribution, and coordination of digital infrastructures. II. Governance, Platforms, and Data — Regulatory frameworks; data ownership, interoperability, and sharing; platformization and power dynamics; institutional coordination and public–private partnerships; governance of geospatial and AI-enabled systems.III. Inclusion, Climate Resilience, and Rural Transformation — Gender, youth, and geographic digital divides; ICT-enabled climate adaptation; contributions to food security, livelihoods, and rural transformation; implications for smallholders and marginalized groups.IV. Emerging Technologies and Integrated Systems — AI, remote sensing, drones, precision agriculture, and big data; geospatial decision-making tools; integrated service platforms linking advisory, financial, and climate services; early-warning systems; cross-platform interoperability; and critical perspectives on digital solutionism. Topic editors: Matthew Ayamga, Selorm Akaba, Abdelaziz Lawani, Giri Prasad Kandel, Abdul-Rahim Abdulai Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81297/economics-governance-and-sustainability-of-digital-agricultural-service-ecosystems