Farmers Review Africa May/June 2017 Farmers Review Africa | Page 37

Supplement
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measures and analyzes soil data like temperature, nutrients and is produced can be effectively utilized through appropriate preservation
vegetative health. and storage techniques. Pioneering affordable solutions on food safety and
UjuziKilimo from Kenya uses big data and analytic capabilities tracking food supply chains will boost the overall value of the sector.
to transform farmers into a knowledge-based community, with
the goal of improving productivity through precision insights. Digital technology opens vast untapped potential for farmers, investors,
· SunCulture – which sells drip irrigation kits that use solar and entrepreneurs to improve efficiency of food production and
energy to pump water from any source consumption in Africa. From precision farming to an efficient food supply
· Farm Drive – connects unbanked and underserved smallholder chain, technology could bring major economic, social, and environmental
farmers to credit, while helping
·
nancial institutions cost-
bene ts. Indeed, the sheer optimism across the startup ecosystem is that
effectively increase their agricultural load portfolios extreme hunger can be cured in Africa, in this generation, by signi cantly
Farmerline and AgroCenta,Ghana based, deploy mobile and transforming the industry that employs most of its citizens.
web technologies that bring farming advice, weather
forecasts, market information, and nancial tips to
farmers, who are traditionally out of reach, due to
barriers in connectivity, literacy, or language
·
Kenyan startup M-Farm and Cameroon's AgroSpaces
provide pricing data to remove price asymmetry
between farmers and buyers, making it possible for
farmers to earn more.
·
Ghana-based Farmerline and AgroCenta deploy
mobile and web technologies that bring farming
advice, weather forecasts, market information, and
nancial tips to farmers, who are traditionally out of
reach, due to barriers in connectivity, literacy, or
language. Sokopepe uses SMS and web tools to offer
market information and farm record management
services to farmers.
Beyond precision farming, nancial solutions designed for farmers are
blossoming. While it is still early to evaluate the impacts of this
digitalization of farming systems in Africa, in terms of productivity and
improvement of human welfare, there is already a promising trend:
Dam Linings and Tarps
Technology is making farming exciting for young people. As they see that
developing mobile apps alone cannot feed Africa, many will turn to
Reservoir linings
Earth dam linings
farming as a business.
But they must be ready to confront institutional challenges in the industry.
Critical infrastructure is still required to truly digitally transform
agriculture in Africa.
Most of the farms are in areas with limited connectivity, making full
technology integration in real time challenging. As countries such as
Trailer Tarpaulins
Ethiopia launch satellites, considering how farmers can bene t from such
initiatives will be critical. Improved farm connectivity will usher in a new
dawn in agriculture technology in the continent.
But entrepreneurs will need to work with the people themselves. Norms
and traditions are prevalent in African agriculture, and just as many
Truck tarpaulins
Welded mesh reservoirs
farmers initially rejected inorganic fertilizers, fearing that they would
irreversibly poison the land, individuals may be resistant to changing their For more informa on contact
farming methods. Agro-tech pioneers must turn farmers into believers by [phone]
using eld demonstrations to show that new technologies can deliver better
Or visit
results.
Finally, Africa needs to cut its food waste in regions where electricity is
unreliable or unavailable. e biggest impact will come when the little that
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FARMERS
REVIEW AFRICA
May - June 2017