Rethinking strategies to close gender digital divide in Indonesia’s agricultural sector.

The ascent of digitalization within agriculture is evident, particularly in downstream sectors like online food commerce and digital agricultural services, as well as endeavors to optimize supply chain management through technological advancements like blockchain (Nogales 2021; FAO 2017; Patil et al. 2012). In Indonesia, a coalition of stakeholders is collaborating to elevate the competitiveness of agricultural commodities through innovative technologies, securing national food security. However, this digital transformation is distributed unevenly, with just 20% of Indonesian women having access to the internet (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, 2020), and a mere 13.4% of active farmers being digitally connected (Results of Inter-Censal Agricultural Survey, BPS 2018). This gender-disparate landscape necessitates tailored remedies (FAO 2018). Despite constituting 31.6% of the agricultural workforce, women's engagement with technology remains limited (BPS 2018). This study aims to bridge this divide by facilitating women's integration into the digital ecosystem, giving precedence to their specific needs, and harnessing innovations for enhanced access and utilization (Safira et al., 2020). Such comprehensive inclusivity could significantly impact agricultural growth (Quisumbing 2003; Ranis et al. 2000; Smith et al. 2003).