How farmers learn in the digital age – International Day special

In celebration of the International Day for Digital Learning (19 March 2026), this first issue of AgriTech Observer examines how digital learning has reshaped - and will continue to reshape - the way farmers learn in Europe and Central Asia.

Drawing on a review of more than 55 digital learning solutions and practices documented in the FAO AgriTech Observatory, this edition examines both the informal and structured digital learning ecosystem. It also analyses their transformation across two principal stages - digitization, characterized by the expansion of informal online learning, and platformization, marked by the emergence of organized communities, digital libraries and formal e-learning environments. The article concludes by exploring the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and the enabling conditions required for its effective and inclusive deployment in agricultural learning contexts.

The informal digital learning ecosystem for agriculture

The first wave of digital learning in agriculture began with connectivity. As broadband infrastructure access expanded across rural Europe and Central Asia during the 2000s and 2010s, farmers increasingly accessed online search engines and specialized websites to access agricultural knowledge, progressively complementing traditional public extension systems.

The diffusion of smartphones marked a second inflection point. Mobile devices effectively placed digital learning tools in farmers’ pockets, enabling real-time access to multimedia content and peer networks. Platforms such as YouTube and Facebook, alongside messaging applications including Telegram, Viber and WhatsApp, emerged as major channels for informal agricultural knowledge exchange. More recently, Instagram and TikTok have gained relevance, particularly among younger farmers.

Survey data confirm the relevance of online sources for agricultural information and practices in Europe and Central Asia, though adoption remains uneven. In the European Union (EU), around 80 percent of farmers browse the internet for information about improving farm practices[1]. Outside the EU, surveys conducted by FAO show that respectively approximately 50 percent of farmers in Uzbekistan[2] and 40 percent of smallholder farmers in Belarus[3] use YouTube, other social media, websites and mobile apps as sources of information and advice for agricultural practices. Adoption rates, however, vary significantly across the region. In Albania, only 26.5 percent of farmers report going online for agricultural guidance[4], while in Tajikistan the figure drops to just 8 percent[5], highlighting persistent disparities in digital access and usage. Within this informal learning ecosystem, messaging applications have evolved beyond communication tools into functional knowledge networks. Telegram is used especially across the Central Asia, while Viber plays a more prominent role in many countries in Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.

At the same time, digital “agri-influencers” are emerging as new intermediaries in agricultural knowledge systems. Often experienced farmers themselves, they disseminate technical demonstrations and cultivation advice through short-form video content. Abdukadyr Abdushukurov in Kyrgyzstan, for example, shares practical content on orchards, vineyards, poultry and horticulture with more than 500 000 followers on Instagram. In Türkiye, Emine Kaya — a young farmer and agricultural technology student — combines farm management with digital outreach, engaging tens of thousands of followers across Instagram and TikTok.

Platformization of agricultural knowledge: websites, digital libraries and online communities

Beyond social media and messaging applications, specialized agricultural websites remain a foundational layer of the informal digital learning ecosystem. Evidence from the AgriTech Observatory highlights several recurring models:

Structured digital learning in agriculture: online courses, certificates and skills development

Beyond informal channels, we can observe more formal and structured digital learning platforms dedicated specifically to agriculture. These platforms offer modular coursework, structured curricula, assessments and certifications, sometimes with blended online and in-person training, formalizing digital learning into recognized skills development pathways.

Structured digital learning platforms offer several distinctive advantages over their informal counterparts. They enable standardization: learning outcomes can be clearly defined, aligned with national agricultural priorities, and linked to broader policy objectives such as climate adaptation or food safety compliance. They also offer considerable scalability, making it possible to train large numbers of learners without a proportional expansion of advisory personnel or physical training infrastructure.

A defining feature of structured digital learning platforms in agriculture is the provision of certification, which frequently serves as a key incentive for participation. Proof-of-completion certificates can either document acquired knowledge and competencies per se, or serve as qualifying credentials for accessing finance, subsidies, value chain participation, or regulatory compliance.

Platforms that provide proof-of-completion certificates primarily position certification as evidence of acquired knowledge and competencies. Notable examples documented in the AgriTech Observatory include: