# Information and Communication Technologies and Agricultural Production: New Evidence from Africa
## 5 Conclusions, Policy Implications, and Recommendations  
This article interrogates the impact of information and communication technologies on agricultural production proxied by crop and livestock indexes in 32 African countries. Our paper finds a positive impact between individuals using internet and their crop production in the long run and found no significant impact on livestock production index in the short and long run. This implies that using internet in the long run leads to increased crop production but with no impact for livestock production. Internet-based information tools could be developed for smallholder farmers whilst a conscious effort is made to improve access and connectivity in rural areas. Given the no returns on investment in the livestock sector, it may be important to invest more in internet access for livestock farmers. Mobile cellular phone subscriptions significantly decreased crop production in the long run. However, mobile cellular phone subscriptions significantly increased livestock production in the long run. This means that information and communication technology-based interventions are usually not panaceans for agricultural development. Such interventions need to be embedded in the overall rural economic development framework, with investments in infrastructure that would direct the use of mobile phones to enhance crop production. Fixed phone subscriptions significantly decreased crop production in the long run but significantly decreased livestock production index in the long run. This implies that, as more of the populace from the African countries subscribe to the fixed telephone, both livestock and crop production in these countries are expected to decline in the long run. We encourage African governments to invest more in mobile phones to replace the fixed phone lines, given that mobile phone penetration has increased substantially in the region and tends to serve multiple uses relative to the fixed phone subscriptions. Net national income per capita significantly increased crop production in the short run and significantly increased livestock production in the long run. We encourage more targeted economic activities to improve net national income per capita, particularly in the rural areas where there are limited economic activities, even though such spaces contribute immensely to the agricultural production of most countries in Africa. Rural population significantly decreased crop production in the long run. Rural population significantly increased livestock production only in the long run. In a nutshell, we expect livestock production to increase in the long run when the rural population increases. The rural space needs to be targeted to make it more attractive to retain individuals already in the space and also lure more individuals into the rural areas to help curb the typical rural-urban migration. An industrialization agenda can be pursued to encourage value addition to the raw materials produced in the rural geographies. By doing so, decent employment and economic opportunities will be created. The paper found bidirectional causality between crop production and internet patronage, livestock production and individuals using internet, crop production and mobile cellular subscription, crop production and net national income, rural population, and both crop and livestock production. A unidirectional relationship was observed between livestock production and net national income. The direction (bidirectional or unidirectional) of the causality has implications for targeting by governments in Africa to promote crop and animal production by paying more attention to the direction of the causality. We suggest that governments within Africa pay more attention to the direction of the causality existing between the covariates and the agricultural production. Specifically, dedicated attention should be paid to livestock production, which remains low in the region to enhance net national income.