Browsing: smart agriculture

Agricultural insurance, the antidote to many economic illnesses. www.theexchange.africa

Insurance provides farm income stability by compensating the losses to the farmers in a timely and efficient manner. It ensures that the farmer is kept on the farm doing what they know and loves best, farming, thereby contributing to food security.

The majority of the farming community in Africa generally operates on thin margins. Most do not have title to land or any bankable assets that they can use as collateral to access finance for the much-needed inputs. By using the insurance policy as collateral, the farmers can access the finance they need, source the right inputs on time and be more productive per unit area, thereby contributing to the food security of their country, apart from also creating their own margins.

The National Bank of Commerce (NBC) in Tanzania have an Agricultural Insurance product in collaboration with Jubilee Insurance Company, aimed at protecting farmers, fishermen, and livestock keepers in …

Smart Agriculture through Mobile Technologies in Africa. www.theexchange.africa

Smartphone adoption in Africa remained sluggish in the latter part of the last decade. This is beginning to change as a combination of pandemic-driven demand for better connectivity and improved affordability of smartphones drive uptake.

According to a report by GSAM, by the end of 2020, 495 million people subscribed to mobile services in Africa, representing 46 per cent of the region’s population, an increase of almost 20 million in 2019.  It is estimated that 615 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, equivalent to 50 per cent of the region’s population.

  • Utilizing the development of mobile digital technologies can assist farmers in gaining access to essential data and information needed to solve certain farming management systems and underlying constraints.
  • It is estimated that 615 million people in sub-Saharan Africa will subscribe to mobile services by 2025, equivalent to 50 per cent of the
Africa climate smart techniques Albert Nangara. Pic1

The economies of African countries’ are dominated by agriculture and the continent’s growth relies heavily on the performance of the sector. However, climate change is a threat to agrarian operations and one of the biggest challenges to food security systems in Africa.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has yielded devastating effects exhibited by acute food and commodity shortages the world over. This has ratcheted pressure on Africa as a continent to rely on its produce by using climate-smart techniques. Africa imported a range of agricultural products worth US$6.9 billion from Russia and Ukraine in 2020.

According to the World Bank, more and more African countries are realizing that the development, promotion, and adoption of climate-smart technologies, implementation of the right enabling policies, and development of relevant skills in Africa's food system workforce are among the game-changers that can truly make a difference.

“Agriculture is a victim of climate change but also…