3 minute read
Smart tech transformational change for smallholder farmers
Smart tech can lead to transformational change for smallholder farmers
By: Matthew Margetts the Director of Sales and Marketing at Smarter Technologies.
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Agricultural development has the potential to boost shared prosperity, end extreme poverty and feed the world’s growing population. In fact, growth in the agriculture sector is two to four times more effective in raising incomes among the poorest individuals compared to other sectors. But how can farmers in developing countries overcome challenges such as climate change to feed growing (and often under-nourished) populations?
With a range of practical and economic challenges facing smallholder farmers, the introduction of smart technologies to farm management can make a meaningful difference to their daily lives. Digitisation holds the key here, a process which is backed up in a report last year from The Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), an institution focusing on poverty reduction through the modernisation of smallholder farming.
Linking farmers to multimedia services and smart technology has so many potential applications in developing countries, and the evidence too is suggesting that this can be achieved through innovation and knowledge sharing. In fact, Africa’s digital agriculture is growing, with the number of farmers subscribed to digital services having grown by 40-45% per year in the last three years. Simple, digital and smart technologies are enabling streamlined disease control and herd management. This, in turn, has a potent knock-on effect when it comes to profitability, productivity, and reduced pressure on farmers.
Consumer demand puts increased pressure on farmers
According to the WHO, we can expect annual worldwide meat production to increase to 376 million tonnes by 2030 to meet nutritional demands. While this raises inevitable environmental concerns, it also puts untold pressure on farmers, who are responsible for meeting these demands. And in Africa, the rapid growth of meat consumption (South Africa contributes to 20% of world meat production) is set to provide not only attractive opportunities for investors, but also in tech which makes its production and management more efficient.
Take for example the opportunities in animal disease, which decreases livestock productivity by up to 30% according to Deloitte, who also estimates that animal losses could be reduced by at least 65% through smart animal health and monitoring. Against this backdrop, there is a call for cost-effective, easily implemented smart solutions to meet the need for global increased yields and improved sustainability. While this has widespread supply benefits, there are a number of advantages farmers will simultaneously enjoy through the functionality of these technologies.
And, if these be continue to be successfully implemented, the annual revenues stemming from this in developing countries are there to support this need too, which are estimated at about $140 million.
The challenges of the traditional approach
Traditional cattle disease management has a heavy reliance on the farmer and labourers to monitor and act upon (sometimes difficult to discern) symptoms they observe. When time is of the essence in containing disease, incorrect diagnosis and treatments can have a dire effect. This is especially so when symptoms may have gone unobserved for some time. Additionally, delays in call-outs are not uncommon, particularly in developing countries where distance and reach of veterinary services can be problematic, and the cost of veterinary intervention can have a negative impact on profitability.
An extension of this is veterinary involvement in fertility and calving. This too attracts expenses, as well as the logistical implications of rounding up cattle for examination. In all, the guesswork around cattle health and fertility results in unnecessary losses. And when examining this among smallholder farmers, paying for veterinary bills may simply not be feasible through monetary concerns, and they end up losing animals to disease and complications. So the increased need for digitisation to help aid the process in these areas is essential moving forward.
The benefits of going smarter
With this cross-section of challenges in mind, farmers have the potential to use insightful data collected from animals to inspire management methodologies which reduce the spread of disease and mortalities. A wide array of solutions exists - from wearable technologies to ingestible hardware. These smart animal health management tools are designed to empower meaningful outcomes through simple integration and actionable, real-time metrics.
Full-time temperature monitoring
One such smart advance is the capability of technology to transmit real-time temperature readings to a remotely accessible dashboard, which is cloud-based and can be accessed on any connected device.
