Adoption and diffusion of vertical farming technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural sector: A scoping review

As food insecurity increasingly becomes prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, many scholars have been urging for rapid implementation of more productive, efficient and effective farming methods in the region. An innovative method, commonly referred to as vertical farming, has emerged and shows promise as a possibly effective means to help address this need. This paper conducts a scoping review that explores the core thematic areas applicable to the use of vertical farming technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural sector. It also explores why the technology is used in the region, the various factors that are determining its adoption and diffusion, as well as its contrast with other approaches to develop agriculture. The paper shows that the majority individuals adopting the technology are smallholders, who make up the largest share of farmers in the region. It highlights that these smallholders are mostly adopting the low-complexity-technological form of vertical farming, whilst the adoption of the high-complexity-technological form of vertical farming is also slowly on the rise. The paper concludes that the technology is already contributing to employment creation and the improvement of food security and makes various policy recommendations that could help address the further adoption and diffusion of the technology in the region.