Global Journal of Commerce & Management Perspective
Open Access

E-Commerce's Influence on Farming Digital Transformation and the Rural Economy

Daveed Smeeth^{* *}Correspondence: Daveed Smeeth, Department of Economics, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, Email:

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It is critical that the population growth rate do not correspond with the size of the country, given that over 75% of these young people reside in rural areas where agriculture serves as their primary source of income. The scenario above illustrates how crucial it is to prioritize the development of agriculture from an antiquated to a modern and improved method. Without a doubt, in this century, IT is a technology that supports nearly every aspect of humankind. Agriculture will not be exempt from these amazing technological times. From this angle, the study will concentrate on the benefits and drawbacks of examining how ICT might serve as a fundamental pillar for agriculture, enabling farmers to become much more aware of their crops, animals, and market prices as well as to connect with customers more effectively and readily.

The Rwandan government has made significant investments in rural areas, and farmers have established several farming associations. Small-scale home farmers combined their lands, and the government gave free irrigation facilities and a crop selection depending on the regions. Their standard of living improved as a result of the massive production rise. The Rwandan government has made significant strides in promoting rural integration; many of these initiatives have received international recognition. For example, nearly all provinces have paved paths, with 80% of them covered; the country has approximately 70% of its population covered by electricity, with a target of 100% by 2020 (Ministry of Infrastructure, 2018); 70% of its potable waters are located in rural areas and almost every district has internet access, with fiber optics established nationwide.

The national initiative known as "Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy II" has helped Rwanda become one of the few African countries to successfully pull more than a million people out of poverty in less than ten years. Integrating all approaches to land use and human settlements, increasing agricultural productivity, enabling the escape from extreme poverty, and perhaps most importantly connecting rural communities to economic opportunities through various platforms where e-commerce originated were some of its primary goals. Rwanda was given the chance to be one of the pioneering African countries when the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UNFAO) launched one of its most wellknown projects, "Agriculture Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa," to accelerate digital inclusion in the agriculture sector. In order to provide farmers with as much information as possible about their farms and livestock, this initiative began with the creation of apps. Four main goals had to be met: Cure and feed your livestock, e-nutrifood, weather and crop calendar, and lastly, AgriMarkePlace. With a focus on their syndromic occurrences, animal health care systems, and feedings, the cure and feed your livestock programme offered rural farmers all the elements they needed to actively check the feeding and health of their animals. In addition, it connects farmers with soil and water analysis labs. With the use of software called E-nutrifood, farmers may now produce high-nutrient food, improving diet and leading to improved nutrition and food security. Enutrifood expanded its offerings by offering information on producers and consumers, as well as sharing the requests of both parties on the necessary amount and quality. However, for digitalization to take place, its effects must be felt across a variety of product-service markets, emerging and established industry segments, and fully developed infrastructure, including street mapping for efficient eFulfillment. Ongoing education and awareness of e-commerce and quality control platforms are also strongly advised. Lastly, as the previous research did not delve much deeper into detail, the next researcher should concentrate heavily on household datasets and examine the penetration of e-commerce, e-payment, and agriculture digitalization on a household's level (microdatasets).