Digital Tools, Women, and Micro-Livestock Farming: Enhancing Productivity and Resilience in Smallholder Animal Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
Abstract
The integration of digital technology, women's empowerment, and micro-livestock farming presents a transformative strategy for enhancing smallholder productivity, increasing household income, and improving food and nutritional security in Sub-Saharan Africa. By granting women farmers access to real-time data on animal health, climate risks, market opportunities, and financial services, digital tools facilitate improved decision-making, reduce production losses, and enhance market engagement. When women, who predominantly manage poultry, goats, sheep, and other micro-livestock, effectively utilize these technologies, the resultant improvements in livestock productivity and income generation directly contribute to enhanced household welfare, increased resilience to climate and economic shocks, and more inclusive rural development. Women constitute a significant proportion of this workforce and are especially engaged in micro livestock production (e.g., poultry and small ruminants) because of low entry barriers and high nutritional value. Despite this central role, women frequently face structural barriers, including limited access to digital tools, financial exclusion, and lower mobility, all of which limit their adaptation capacity and productivity. Concurrently, digital agricultural technologies—from mobile advisory services to digital marketplaces—are emerging as transformative tools for enhancing smallholder resilience, information access, value chain participation, and climate adaptation. This review synthesizes evidence on digital technologies in SSA’s agricultural context, examines gendered access and use of digital tools, evaluates the role of micro livestock in rural livelihoods, and highlights how digital innovations can foster women’s empowerment and climate resilient micro livestock systems. Current barriers, such as infrastructural constraints, limited internet connectivity, and the gender digital divide, are also discussed. The review concludes with a conceptual framework linking digital inclusion, gender empowerment, and micro livestock productivity and offers policy and research recommendations to support equitable digital transformation in SSA.
How to Cite This Article
Never Assan, Hilary Marufu (2026). Digital Tools, Women, and Micro-Livestock Farming: Enhancing Productivity and Resilience in Smallholder Animal Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa . International Journal of Multidisciplinary Futuristic Development (IJMFD), 7(1), 49-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54660/IJMFD.2026.7.1.49-60