Mobile Apps in Agriculture: A Review of Mobile Technology's Role in Information Dissemination Across Senegal

Mobile apps have gained traction as a tool for disseminating agricultural information in Senegal. A systematic literature review was conducted using databases such as PubMed and Web of Science. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria related to mobile app usage for agriculture. Mobile apps have been particularly effective in disseminating weather forecasts, market prices, and best farming practices, with a significant proportion (30%) of reviewed studies reporting increased farmer engagement through these platforms. The review underscores the potential of mobile technology to bridge information gaps for agricultural productivity in Senegal. Investment should be directed towards developing more interactive and user-friendly mobile apps that cater specifically to farmers' needs, alongside ongoing training programmes to maximise app usage. Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.