Bridging the Digital Divide in Pakistani Agriculture

Agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy, employing 38% of the national workforce and supporting nearly 65% of the rural population (World Bank, 2024). Yet, the sector remains largely underserved by digital technology. Despite the emergence of cutting-edge agri-tech tools, ranging from AI-based crop monitoring and IoT-powered irrigation to blockchain traceability for supply chains, only 12% of smallholder farmers in Pakistan, defined as those cultivating less than five acres, are currently using any form of digital technology (AgriTech Pakistan, 2024). This digital exclusion is deepening rural poverty, stagnating productivity, and reducing farmers’ ability to cope with the growing challenges of climate change, pests, and erratic markets.

In 2023, Pakistan introduced its Digital Agriculture Transformation Plan with ambitious goals to digitize farming practices through artificial intelligence, smart devices, and precision agriculture. While promising on paper, the implementation has remained uneven and largely inaccessible to smallholders, who make up over 85% of the country’s farmers. The reasons are manifold: limited internet connectivity in rural areas, lack of digital literacy, unaffordable technologies, and weak extension systems. Consequently, farms that are not digitally integrated yield 30-40% less than those using tech-enhanced practices (FAO, 2024), highlighting a growing productivity gap.

This growing digital divide directly fuels rural poverty and food insecurity. Farmers without access to real-time weather updates, disease forecasts, or market prices are more vulnerable to shocks, forced to sell their produce at lower rates or suffer from crop losses. It also affects women disproportionately, who face additional cultural and financial barriers to accessing mobile-based advisory services or online marketplaces. Addressing this divide requires urgent policy interventions such as rural internet infrastructure, subsidized smart tools for smallholders, digital literacy campaigns, and inclusive tech platforms tailored to low-resource environments. Without bridging this gap, the promise of digital transformation risks passing by those who need it most.

The Four Pillars of the Digital Divide

The digital divide in Pakistan’s agricultural sector is underpinned by four interconnected pillars: infrastructure gaps, digital illiteracy, affordability barriers, and gender disparities. These challenges significantly hinder the adoption of agricultural technologies, particularly among smallholder farmers, further deepening rural poverty and limiting national food security.

The first barrier is infrastructure. Reliable internet and electricity are prerequisites for any digital transformation, yet only 22% of rural Pakistan has 4G connectivity (PTA, 2024). In regions like Sindh’s Thar Desert, 90% of farmers lack internet access altogether. In Balochistan, some communities are completely cut off, with farmers walking several kilometers to find a mobile signal (GSMA, 2024). Electricity access is similarly uneven, 45% of Balochistan’s villages have no electricity, and in Punjab, daily power outages lasting 8–10 hours disrupt the functioning of IoT-based irrigation systems (NEPRA, 2023; Punjab Energy Department, 2024).

Secondly, digital illiteracy is a major obstacle. Nearly 78% of farmers over the age of 40 are unable to operate smartphones (Gallup Pakistan, 2024). Additionally, many government agri-apps are in Urdu, leaving speakers of regional languages like Punjabi, Seraiki, and Sindhi at a disadvantage (PARC, 2024). An example is the Punjab Agriculture Department’s failed CropCare app (2022), which saw only 12% adoption. Reasons included a mismatch between language and local dialects, lack of SMS-compatible phones, and generic pest alerts that ignored local variability (Punjab Agri-Tech Report, 2023).

Affordability poses the third challenge. Most digital farming tools are priced out of reach for smallholders. A basic IoT soil sensor cost ₨15,000, equivalent to 40% of a smallholder’s annual income (AgriTech Pakistan, 2024). Drones, priced over ₨200,000, are even less accessible (World Bank, 2024). However, KP’s e-Kisan Voucher Program (2023) showed that subsidizing 50% of the cost increased adoption by 35%, demonstrating that affordability can be a catalyst for uptake (KP Agriculture Dept., 2024).

Finally, gender disparities exacerbate the divide. While women manage up to 70% of livestock, 85% of rural women do not own a mobile phone (GSMA, 2023). Cultural norms often restrict women from participating in training sessions, especially in conservative areas like KP (UN Women, 2024). The Punjab Women Development Department’s Nawabari app (2023) tackled this by offering female-exclusive content in regional languages. As a result, it empowered 30,000 women and boosted kitchen garden yields by 25%.

The impact of this divide is measurable. According to the Pakistan Agri-Tech Coalition (2024), tech-enabled farms have a 47% higher wheat yield, 60% higher income, and significantly lower post-harvest losses compared to non-tech farms. Bridging the digital divide is not just about access, it is about equity, empowerment, and national resilience.

Breaking Barriers: Successful Models

Successful models of digital inclusion in Pakistan’s agriculture sector demonstrate that bridging the digital divide is possible through localized, inclusive, and collaborative approaches. In Sindh, the Dharti App has made significant strides by offering an interface in Sindhi, which led to a 55% adoption rate among cotton farmers who were previously disconnected from digital advisories (Sindh AgriTech, 2024). Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s radio-based alerts system has reached 80% of non-literate farmers, delivering daily weather and crop updates without requiring smartphones or internet access (KP Agriculture, 2023). These examples show that when digital tools are customized to local linguistic and literacy contexts, adoption rates improve dramatically.

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have also been instrumental in reducing affordability barriers and expanding outreach. Telenor’s Kisan Dost initiative provided subsidized smartphones for as little as ₨1,500 per month, bundled with farming advisory apps. Meanwhile, JazzCash’s agri-loan program has enabled over 150,000 farmers to obtain collateral-free loans specifically for purchasing agri-tech tools (Jazz, 2024). These PPPs illustrate how telecom and fintech sectors can jointly accelerate digital inclusion.

Women-focused programs are proving especially transformative. UN Women’s Digital Saheli initiative trained 12,000 women to use moisture sensors for better crop management, while the Nawabari App in Punjab reached 30,000 female users with localized tutorials and extension services (Punjab WDD, 2024). These initiatives demonstrate that when technology is gender-sensitive, women can become key drivers of agricultural innovation.

To scale these successes, several policy recommendations are essential. Universal rural connectivity must be prioritized, with at least 5% of CPEC infrastructure funds allocated to 4G/5G expansion and satellite internet partnerships like Starlink to serve remote regions. Digital literacy drives, such as mobile e-Khidmat vans and school-level agri-tech courses, will build long-term capacity. Tech affordability can be improved by replicating India’s DIGITAL GREEN model, distributing free tablets to farmer groups, and through tax exemptions for locally produced agri-tech devices. Gender inclusion must be institutionalized by reserving 40% of agri-tech program slots for women and setting up female-only training centers in conservative areas. Together, these actions can build a digitally empowered rural economy.

Conclusion

Bridging the digital divide in Pakistani agriculture is not just a technological necessity, it is a socio-economic imperative. As the country grapples with mounting challenges of climate change, food insecurity, and rural poverty, digital inclusion has emerged as a transformative pathway to resilience and growth. Smallholder farmers, who form the backbone of Pakistan’s agricultural output, remain largely excluded from the digital revolution due to systemic barriers including poor connectivity, digital illiteracy, high technology costs, and gender disparities. Yet, successful localized initiatives, from radio-based advisories in KP to Sindhi-language mobile apps in Sindh, demonstrate that when solutions are tailored to real-world contexts, adoption and impact increase significantly.

Moving forward, a holistic policy framework is essential. This must prioritize universal internet coverage, public-private investment in affordable tools, context-sensitive training, and gender-inclusive platforms. The experiences of the e-Kisan Voucher Program and Nawabari App show that digital equity is attainable when affordability, access, and awareness align. Technology, if made inclusive, can empower farmers with timely information, reduce post-harvest losses, enhance yields, and connect producers directly to markets.

Ultimately, digital agriculture is not about replacing tradition, it’s about equipping traditional farmers with modern tools to thrive. Ensuring that no farmer is left behind in this digital transformation is key to Pakistan’s sustainable and inclusive agricultural future.

References: FAO; GSMA; KP Agriculture Department; Punjab Women Development; World Bank; AgriTech Pakistan; PTA; NEPRA; Punjab Energy Department; Gallup Pakistan; PARC; UN Women; Sindh AgriTech; Punjab WDD

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

The writer is affiliated with the Department of Agricultural Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Sindh Agriculture University Tandojam Sindh, Pakistan and can be reached at alinaarain792@gmail.com

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