Co-creation applied to digital innovations for smallholder farmers: An example from Brazil

KEY MESSAGES ◼ The integration of local traditional wisdom with academic-scientific knowledge has the potential to generate innovative and more effective solutions to challenges faced by farmers. ◼ Adopting co-creation concepts for developing digital innovations can be an alternative to developing digital tools that meet the needs and expectations of farmers and extension agents, hence, fostering a sense of ownership and increasing adoption. ◼ The experience of Solidaridad in the state of Pará, Brazil, illustrates how applying co-creation principles to the development of digital tools allows for the emergence of new innovations rooted in the needs of farming communities. ◼ This example illustrates the dilemmas that may arise in the practical application of the Principles for socially inclusive digital tools for smallholder farmers and brings to light the limitations of developing co-creation through digital technology.