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Journal of Integrative Agriculture  2026, Vol. 25 Issue (6): 2229-2241    DOI: 10.1016/j.jia.2025.12.056
Section 2: Digital Literacy as Adoption Driver Advanced Online Publication | Current Issue | Archive | Adv Search |
Digital technology knowledge and farmer’s e-commerce valuation in Nigeria

Khadijat Busola Amolegbe1#, Sènakpon Fidèle Ange Dedehouanou2, 3, Abdulazeez Muhammad-Lawal1, Abdulrazaq Kamal Daudu1

1 Department of Agricultural Economics and Farm Management, University of Ilorin, Ilorin 240003, Nigeria

2 Partnership for Economic Policy Research Fellow, Nairobi 00100, Kenya

3 Centre de Recherche en Economie (CRE-UAC), Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi 01 BP 2544, Benin

 Highlights 
Fewer than half of rural farming households demonstrated knowledge of digital technology, with test scores exceeding 40%.  
At least 88% of rural farming households were willing to pay 19% of the sale price to use digital marketing platforms’ services.  
Digital knowledge increases e-commerce valuation, mostly among male and young adults.
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Abstract  

The growth of digital marketing platforms is reshaping the food systems and offers a potential solution to farmers’ output market access problem.  However, the digital transformation also leads to a growing digital divide, driven by disparities in digital literacy, which may hinder rural farmers from exploiting opportunities in the digital market.  This paper investigates the relationship between e-commerce valuation and digital technology knowledge in rural Nigeria.  We used contingent valuation questions to measure farmers’ willingness to pay for digital platform services in commercializing their agricultural products.  We performed a basic digital technology knowledge test to assess farmers’ proficiency in using digital tools, focusing on practical digital skills.  Using the treatment effects framework associated with panel data, we found significant positive and heterogeneous effects of digital technology knowledge on e-commerce valuation in rural Nigeria.  To fully realize the potential of rural e-commerce, urgent policy interventions are needed to enhance digital literacy and make internet access more affordable for rural farming households.

Keywords:  rural e-commerce       digital technology       contingent valuation       Nigeria  
Received: 20 February 2025   Accepted: 30 July 2025 Online: 29 December 2025  
Fund: This research was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  The contents of this publication are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.  The project is funded under the Advancing Local Leadership, Innovation and Networks (ALL-IN) research program, a collaboration between the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Markets, Risk & Resilience and the International Centre for Evaluation and Development (ICED).  
About author:  #Correspondence Khadijat Busola Amolegbe, E-mail: busolatinwol@gmail.com, olatinwo.kb@unilorin.edu.ng

Cite this article: 

Khadijat Busola Amolegbe, Sènakpon Fidèle Ange Dedehouanou, Abdulazeez Muhammad-Lawal, Abdulrazaq Kamal Daudu. 2026. Digital technology knowledge and farmer’s e-commerce valuation in Nigeria. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 25(6): 2229-2241.

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