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EQUIPMENT
A report by Lux Research identifies the impact that digitalisation is having on the food industry.
Digital route to the future of African Farming
Relevance for Africa In the near-term, digitalisation is set to improve agricultural productivity in developing countries by increasing access to and decreasing the cost of farm machinery to small holder farmers by providing integration of free agronomic data and insight with access to quality assured crop input products, and lastly by connecting small-holder farmers with produce buyers rapidly. The goal is to offset major challenges facing small-holders including bringing food to populations that are set to double in the next 50 years, reducing the yield gaps faced by small holder farmers from an array of factors including poor nutrient management, poor input accessibility, high prevalence of diseases, pests, and weeds, climate-related challenges, and identifying ways to improve limited access to information connectivity. However, while digitalisation is often touted as the solution to agriculture productivity in regions like Africa, commercialising digital
26 African Farming - January/February 2020
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STUDY ABOUT the impact of the effect of digitalisation on the agrifood ecosystem finds that, while other industrial sectors have been quicker to implement digital solutions like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, industrial IoT, and robotics, the agrifood industry is making great strides to catch up. The report titled "The Digital Transformation of the Food Industry,” by Lux Research reveals that a major challenge for players attempting to interface with digital technologies in food production is the tendency to act tactically from a tech-first perspective rather than acting strategically from an issue-to-outcome perspective. “The ability to address consumers’ future needs is the driving force behind the rapidly evolving agrifood sector,” said Harini Venkataraman, lead analyst of the report. “To adequately meet this changing landscape, major industry players must act now to build a robust digital strategy that identifies the right set of digital tools for the right products to maximise the value-add for their respective businesses.”
Digitalisation will impact agriculture productivity in developing countries if solutions reflect the agricultural, social, and technological challenges.
solutions for smallholder farmers remains a significant challenge. The analysts at Lux Research have interviewed numerous companies that have started with this goal in mind but later reassess the strategy and then engage with large commercial growers. Digitalisation will only impact agriculture productivity in developing countries if solutions reflect the agricultural, social, and technological challenges and if a funding system exists to provide the necessary capital for growth. Current digitalisation success in developing countries is defined by financial backing from government or large agricultural companies. Digital tools influencing African region For Africa, the tools for digitalisation must be cost effective, must work within technological limitations, and must not drastically alter farmer practices or require significant training. With cost-effective being the most significant factor for digital tool adoption, tools must rely on well trained machine
While digitalisation is often touted as the solution to agriculture productivity in regions such as Africa, commercialising digital solutions for smallholder farmers remains a challenge.
learning or deep learning algorithms rather than custom agronomic support. Secondly, smart-phones or handheld devices drive Africa’s digital farming era as this technology and connectivity continues to grow throughout the region, which also indicates that innovative software rather than hardware is vital. Therefore, while digital tools are important, expect business models to be the differentiator and enabler of digital farming in the region. Tools connecting growers with affordable resources will make the most impact. I would discuss this through two success stories in Africa, WeFarm and HelloTractor, both of which Lux interviewed. WeFarm utilises smartphone-based free-ware applications to support small-holder farmers by relying on connectivity and natural language processing to allow the community of users to share agronomic recommendations with one another specific to their needs. This option is affordable and relies on widely available technology, but the company’s success will be dependent upon monetising its platform through integration with crop input transactions and distribution networks. WeFarm guarantees access to quality products where distribution connections are available, and this can help overcome nutrient management challenges. HelloTractor takes a different approach to enabling SHF by providing access to machinery services. It collaborates with John Deere, Government
www.africanfarming.net
