Young farmers have quietly transformed agriculture using WhatsApp, TikTok and Facebook, creating economic opportunities and upskilling networks that may outperform billion-dollar AgTech platforms, yet remain largely invisible to policymakers.
- Young farmers across Côte d'Ivoire and Benin are transforming agriculture by innovatively using social media platforms as market intelligence networks and peer learning platforms
- This grassroots digital innovation boosts income, generates employment, and improves economic inclusion through social agriculture networks that reach millions.
- The opportunity remains largely invisible to policymakers, funders, and incumbent AgTech platforms, who could support and scale this digital infrastructure to reach even more people.
Millions of young farmers across West Africa are re-inventing everyday social media platforms, transforming them into agricultural tools that improve farm productivity, boost income, generate employment, and enable peer-learning online, according to new research from Caribou in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.
Young agricultural entrepreneurs across Côte d'Ivoire and Benin are using social media platforms for purposes beyond their original design. They have turned group chats and communities into marketplaces where farmers compare prices across markets. They use live streaming to show urban customers their products to build trust that leads to sales. They share videos teaching each other how to spot plant diseases or mix organic pesticides.
The research, which interviewed young producers, processors, and traders across rice, cashew, and soy value chains, documents how farmers have extended access to critical information that traditional agricultural systems provide through the innovative use of social media platforms.
Redefining what’s possible through everyday social platforms
In countries where official agricultural support services, known as extension services, reach fewer than one in five farmers, where 86% of adults lack bank accounts, and where rural farmers routinely receive below-market prices, everyday social media platforms have become essential infrastructure for many.
A cashew farmer in rural Côte d'Ivoire might wait weeks for an agricultural agent, then sell their harvest for half its value because they lack market price information. A young farmer processing soy in Benin cannot access loans because banks don't serve certain rural areas or cannot reach urban customers without ways to display products.
Social media addresses these gaps. This same cashew farmer might instead receive daily price updates via WhatsApp from farmers in other regions. The soy processor may post product photos on Facebook and receive mobile money payments from customers hundreds of miles away. Young farmers can film pest management techniques and share solutions, creating practical knowledge repositories.
How farmers are repurposing social platforms
The study documents how farmers have transformed everyday platforms into essential agricultural tools:
- WhatsApp as market intelligence: Farmers create groups organized by crop and region, sharing price information and alerting each other to reliable buyers or fraudsters
- Facebook as a storefront: Processors and traders create business pages showcasing products and operations, building customer trust and brand loyalty
- TikTok as a training platform: Young farmers create videos demonstrating farming techniques that can be watched repeatedly and adapted to local conditions
- Instagram for branding: Urban processors use professional presentation to attract middle-class customers and international buyers
Growing digital divides and policy blind spots
National digital strategies across the West African Economic and Monetary Union focus largely on formal businesses and purpose-built platforms. They have limited focus on the digital channels and tools used informally by large portions of the population.
This disconnect has consequences. Farmers using social media for business operate without consumer protection or recourse when defrauded. They cannot easily access training, funding, or support available to formal businesses. Those without smartphones or data, particularly rural women, are at risk of exclusion.
The research found that while governments and donors spend millions building specialized agricultural platforms attracting hundreds of users, millions of farmers have already built their own digital ecosystem on existing social platforms.
The research also revealed divides between male and female farmers in platform use. While young men in cities use TikTok to build agricultural brands, rural farmers may not afford data for certain platform functions, such as video content.
Women are responding through collective action. The study documents "DigiQueen" clusters in Benin where women pool money for phones and data, sharing devices and teaching digital skills. In Côte d'Ivoire, women's cooperatives use WhatsApp voice notes in local languages to include members with limited literacy.
Social agriculture is led by youth and women who are reshaping livelihoods and reimagining a future for farming that is community-driven, digitally enabled, and full of ptential to scale. Unlocking this potential will be the next big leap for agrifood systems.”
Women agripreneurs across West Africa are innovating with limited resources, from sharing devices, teaching digital skills, and building inclusive networks on platforms not designed for agriculture. Imagine what they could achieve with the right tools, training, and support. The potential to unlock even greater impact is there, and could be transformative for them and their communities.
Recommendations for action
The study calls for stakeholders to work with and scale the digital infrastructure that farmers have already built, rather than replacing it with new systems. Its specific recommendations include:
- Governments: Recognize and support existing digital practices in agricultural policies to scale and strengthen its impact rather than creating new systems.
- Development organizations: Deliver training through platforms farmers already use and partner with successful social media agripreneurs.
- Platform companies: Enable monetization features like mobile money integration to unlock value for millions of agricultural users.
- Investors: Direct capital towards rural connectivity and scaling farmer-created models rather than wholly new platforms to compete with them.
You can learn more about the program and the farmers involved in a video overview here.
About the study
The research examined social media use among young farmers, processors, and traders in Côte d'Ivoire and Benin's rice, cashew, and soy value chains. Through interviews with 26 agripreneurs, 23 institutional stakeholders, 7 training institutions, and 8 focus groups involving 56 participants, the study documented how social platforms serve as informal agricultural infrastructure.
Key findings include: 7 million social media users in Côte d'Ivoire and 2.4 million in Benin, with 24.8% using digital tools for agricultural purposes. However, only 11% of rural Benin residents have electricity access, and women are 19% less likely to use mobile internet than men.
The full report, "Social Agriculture in WAEMU: Driving Sustainable Livelihoods and Job Creation," provides detailed evidence and actionable recommendations for stakeholders.
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To view the press release and case studies, click here.
