We need to start by asking ourselves two fundamental questions:

1. How did we get here? I mean really....how did we let things get to this state of affairs?And i think very many answers to this have been given. We ought to thoroughly document these facts and thoughts for reference and benchmarking.
2. What do we already know? Which information does each of the stakeholders have? How can we start aggregating all this big data and processing it for consumption by all stakeholders, especially the smallholders, before we start creating a square wheel?

In my opinion this should be the beginning of the change process, moving from the known to the unknown. And, we must focus our efforts towards empoering the smallholder farmers to start DEMANDING for answers - actionable data, fairness, accountability, respect, etc. Until smallholder farmers start feeling comfortable to ask questions and to demand for answers, then e-agriculture will not solve issues of equity and inclusion. 

In order to have the smallholder farmers steadily growing by adapting data-driven agriculture, we must look at the market system within which they operate. All the stakeholders who are directly and indirectly working with the smallholders need actionable data/information in order for them to do a good job. This is what will drive inclusion and equity. I will attempt to explain a scenarion that depicts what success will look like in future:

Agricultural inputs - Smallholders will be receiving the right kinds of inputs in fashionale time. The distribution/supply chains will adequately respond to the needs of the smallholder farmers based on consumer data collected over seasons. Therefore the varieties of seed, agrochemicals and other inputs will be based on accurate smallholder preferences. The provision of extension services will be based on what farmers are purchasing and using on their farms. The transperancy and access to information will empower the smallholder farmers to always demand for better service and quality from suppliers. This open demand will then enlist responses based on trust and mutual benefit.

The offtaker or buyer - data will drive this stakeholder to work better with the smallholder farmer. With accurate information on acreage, varieties, seasons and market information, the buyer will feel confident to enage more intentionally with the smallholder farmer. Armed with information, he will be able to value the relationship with the smallholder because he will offer support (such as quality seed, etension, credit)to ensure that he gets the quantity and tha quality he needs at the end of the season. Data will enable the buyer to understand the needs of the farmers better and therefore package his support accordingly. This will strengthen his relationship with the farmers and other stakeholders in the system.

The government - The government will be in the best position ever to create an enabling environment that encouraging the thriving of the smallholder farmer. There will be a mechanism through which government collects accurate famer information, either directly or indirectly, from the village to the national level.The same process will be used to share the information in forms that are user-friendly and useful. The information will be used to provide incentive for better participation in the value chains by the various stakeholders who will themselves. Even when governments want to provide subsidies to farmers, they will plan better and the subsidies will be smart enough as to give farmers what they exactly need at the right time and will not stiffle the develoment of the private sector inputs businesses. The policies and all other legal regimes will work to provide a tranparent framework on how farmer information is aggregated by the private sector and the developnebt agencies and what rights farmers (as the primary source)have in the entire process. 

Business Development Service Providers - When they have the right data in future, they will be in better position to coin value propositions that suit the critical needs of smallholder farmers and other stakeholders. Agricultural insurance, for instance, will be availabe at competitive terms when insurers tap into comprehensive and accurate climate/weather data. In turn this will have a knock on effect with the financial institutions which are still looking at smallholder agriculture as a high risk customer segment. They will come up with products that suit the unique circumstances of the farmers and make them available at competitive terms. ICT firms use data to find better ways of reaching the most people at the bottom of the pyramid at the least possible cost. Perhaps government will use this service to regulate better collcetion and acess to information by all stakeholders, especially the farmer by leveraging the ever increasing acess to the mobile phone and radio.

A key considertation here is, in my opinion, how countries aggregate that data from a multiplicity of players with differing (and sometimes competing) demands. There is need for not just a policy framework on how developing countries deal with this, but an entire strategy detailing this data is processed and in what form it is made available to consumers, especially the smallholder farmers. This is important because accessibility may not necessarily mean that smallholder farmers are able to make us of data. In Uganda for instance, farmers can access weather information (in some cases using basic mobile phones) but the data is complicated for that consumer to make any sense of. Accessibility and consumption are inseparable. Ordinarily, the data should be going to the Ministry of Agriculture for interpreation (and translation where applicable), packaging for different regions and value chains and disseminated using various channels that smallholder farmers can access. 

The private sector and the development agencies have personalised data that they collect from the farmers. Some of this information is actually quite personal and private. Irrespective of the ethical dimensions that can be cited in this regard, these entities do not make this data available in most cases. They hold it as critical trade information to leverage in competing for markets and/or projects from the donor agencies.  It is not even available in any form for use and sharing by the people from whom it was collected. This presents both a legal and ethical challenges related to how smallholders are treated in the iformation/data market place.