The multidimensional inclusivity index
A scientific tool to enhance inclusiveness and adoption of digital solutions for agrisystems
The Multidimensional Digital Inclusivity Index (MDIl) allows researchers and innovators to understand how they can improve the inclusiveness of a digital solution.
External evaluators assess the solution across a comprehensive set of inclusivity indicators, providing actionable insights to improve adoption by a wider range of users.
MDIl is tailored for agrisystems, highlighting the gender, socioeconomic, technological and location-specific barriers to adoption by farmers in global South contexts.
Researchers, innovators and developers creating digital solutions for global South agrisystems.
Farm advisories, government decision support platforms, digital-enabled sensors, etc.
An MDIl evaluation can be started at any point in the development of a digital tool, from early-stage concept to deployment. The first step is to determine the type of assessment you need.
Innovators or developers request an MDII evaluation. This can take place at any point in the development process.
Evaluators collaborate with innovators or developers to collect a mix of qualitative and quantitative data. The evaluation team includes domain experts and end-users.
The MDII scores, insights and recommendations are made available on the user-friendly and secure online MDII platform, along with the full report.
MDII is a structured evaluation framework that recognizes the importance of inclusivity at all stages of innovation development.
Based on this data, domain expertize and input from stakeholders, the evaluation team provides recommendations and actionable insights for improvement.
The framework consists of 90 indicators, which inform 27 subdimensions of seven dimensions, covering three megagroups: Innovation usage, Social consequences, and Stakeholder relationships.
Figure 1. Organization of indicators used in MDII framework. Click on each arc of the graphic to deep dive the framework.
The solution is given a score using a five-tier system for inclusivity across each dimension and subdimension. This makes it simple to identify points of strength and areas for improvement.
Based on this data, domain expertize and input from stakeholders, the evaluation team provides recommendations and actionable insights for improvement.
Research into digital inclusion highlights the importance of individual experiences in technology adoption processes. Understanding if (and how) digital agritools are inclusive requires examining not only structural aspects, such as access to technology, but also the experiential dimensions.
The term digital inclusiveness encompasses both dimensions: a structural aspect (“inclusion”), concerned with access and opportunity, and an experiential aspect (“inclusivity”), focused on users’ sense of belonging and engagement.
Metrics and methods are essential for assessing inclusiveness and transformative impact, especially in identifying populations historically excluded from digital innovations. However, existing indices are limited in scope and not adapted to agri-food system applications.
MDII addresses this gap by integrating concepts from both Information Systems (IS) theory and gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) research to assess not only whether digital technologies are available and accessible, but how they are experienced, adopted, and governed by diverse agricultural actors.
Opola, F., Langan, S., Arulingam, I., Schumann, C., Singaraju, N., Joshi, D., Ghosh, S. (2025).
Martins, C. I., Opola, F., Jacobs-Mata, I., Garcia Andarcia, M., Nortje, K., Joshi, D., Singaraju, N., Muller, A., Christen, R., Malhotra, A. (2023).
The MDII is applicable to digital solutions in agri-systems on a global scale. It has been implemented for 5 separate use cases in 3 countries.
Across nine agrifood systems digital innovations spanning six countries in Africa and South-West Asia, MDII assessment has identified recurring factors that impact the inclusiveness of digital tools.
Many of the most critical gaps – for example in indicators relating to ethical and responsible innovation – fall outside the scope of traditional assessments, demonstrating the importance of a multidimensional approach.
Some of the recommendations are straightforward or low-cost, including offline functionalities, refining training materials or simplifying technical language. Others are more strategic, such as the development of data governance frameworks, transparent algorithm processes, or adaptive design systems that adapt to the infrastructure in different settings.
Figure 2. Average score (%) per dimension across 9 agrifood systems digital innovations evaluated by MDII
The rapid digitization of agrifood systems risks widening the digital divide. At the same time, even when developers can make highly functional tools, it remains a struggle to achieve high levels of adoption in global South contexts, especially among a diverse and inclusive range of users.
MDII is a tool that has proven ready to provide deep and actionable insights for digital tool developers.
Start the process with either a rapid or a full assessment
Contact mdii@cgiar.org for detailed enquiries.