Roles of ICT in Agriculture Africa

1. ICTs and Development
Lecture 1:
Roles of ICTs
Topic: ICT Initiatives in Agriculture for Africa
Happiness Mkumbo

2. Introduction
• In Africa, agricultural economy provides more than 30 to 40% of
the continent’s gross domestic product and employs more than
60-75% of the working class(WorldBank,2017).
• Unfortunately, Africa’s agriculture sector is hurting because
environmental challenges have affected the continent’s weather
patterns and temperatures, making farming extremely difficult.
Outdated practices also hold Africa back, such as planting
based on the moon phases, which further affects productivity

3. Introduction(1/2)
• Information communication and Technology is the driver which can speed
up the attaining of 17 United nation Sustainable goals particularly goal
number two (2) zero hunger. By making agricultural practices more data-
driven and efficient, ICT-enabled solutions can help farmers increase crop
yields while reducing their use of energy.
• ICT innovation in agriculture can promote access to information such as
climatic weather information, Agronomy tips, crop information and market
data to small scale farmers.
• According to research done by IBM ,90% of all crop losses are due to
weather. This crop damage could be reduced by 25% using predictive
weather modeling and precision agriculture techniques.

4. Introduction (1/3)
According to World bank group the priority areas for digital
solutions that can transform agriculture in Africa includes:
 Agricultural Extension and Technology Transfer
oIn 2019, the ratio of extension officers to famers in Nigeria was
1: 7500 (which is the lowest in Africa).In Tanzania 1:1172 and
1:500 for crops and livestock farmers respectively[2]. The
lower this ratio, the better access farmers have to expert
information and advice on how to access and use improved
seed and other relevant agricultural technologies,”
oDigital solution platforms can reach many farmers easier than
extension officers.

5. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1)
• ICTs improve access to financial services to small holder farmers
oA good example is the use of mobile money through M-Pesa in
Kenya, where studies have shown that households with access to
mobile money are better able to manage negative livelihood shocks
such as job losses, death of livestock, or problems with harvests .
oInsurance, credit and savings services are also being developed
based on the mature mobile money systems in Africa. Kilimo
Salama is a micro- insurance product that uses M-Pesa to provide
payouts to smallholder farmers where crops fail

6. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/2)
o FarmDrive: Connects smallholder farmers to
loans and financial management tools through
mobile phones. By keeping records of farmers’
expenses, revenues, and yields, FarmDrive
derisks the farmers. Farmers can apply for a
loan. Based on the farmers’ track record they can
get loan approvals and receive loans via M-
PESA. FarmDrive’s alternative credit scoring
model based on individual, social, agronomic,
environmental, economic and satellite data,
ensures financial inclusion for the
disenfranchised women that make up 60% of
African smallholder farmers.
Source: https://farmdrive.co.ke

7. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/3)
• ICTs help extension workers and researchers to adopt improved
agricultural practices and disseminate them to farmers.
They provide agricultural information that is relevant to farmers such as
agricultural techniques, commodity prices, and weather forecasts to
farmers.
Example Tigo- Kilimo is a mobile agricultural value-added service
developed by mobile network operator, Tigo Tanzania . Tigo Kilimo
offers an advisory service for smallholder farmers in Tanzania related to
crops, weather and market price information via mobile phones.
Customers access the service via the USSD1 channel which is
available on any mobile phone. The service also enables peer-to-peer
communications between farmers via a chat function

8. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/4)
• The utilization of ICTs, especially mobile technologies, helps
agricultural producers, who are often unaware of commodity prices
in adjacent markets and rely on information from traders in
determining when, where, or for how much to sell their produce, to
have relevant and timely information to this regard.
oDelays in obtaining this information or its misinterpretation by middle
traders has serious consequences for agricultural producers, leading
to charging low prices or high/low produce supply in the markets.
Also, relying on traders or agents creates rent seeking opportunities,
adding to the agricultural workers’ cost of doing business

9. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/5)
• Mobile phones have had some dramatic effects, particularly in
rural Africa, for example the utilization of e-Soko in Rwanda
Farmers can compare market prices for the grain they produce
and fishermen are able to sell their catch every day and reduce
spoilage and waste by locating customers

10. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/6)
• The M-Farm solution was developed based on the marketing
challenges of rural farmers in Kenya. Smallholder farmers unaware
of the market of the various commodities, produce in excess and are
faced with the problem of getting the worth of their produce.
• Poor information on farm inputs and lack of access to these inputs
such as fertilizer, seed, agrochemicals and other equipments are
huge obstacles to increasing farmers’ productivity.
• The inability of the farmers to transport their produce to regional
markets after harvesting also leads to the exploitation by middlemen
who offer insufficient prices for the produce, and even delay
payments for the commodities.

11. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/7)
• Risk Management
ICT enabled weather modeling and prediction solutions particularly
AI’s one provide real time advice to governments and individual
farmers to take decisions on drought, climate shocks, pest
incidence thereby control the risks to crop production.
For example :-In house Ag Observatory using satellite and other
big data to provide real time advice to governments and take
decisions on drought, climate shocks, pest incidence etc. Example
a Pilot in Kenya to launch a country pilot.

12. The WBG Ag Observatory
“Big Data + Artificial Intelligence + Machine Learning”
Field
Satellite Radar
Ground Radar
Ground
Weather
Station
• 1.5 million Virtual Met Stations
• Every 9 km across the terrestrial
surface of the earth
• 7 billion data points updated
every 6 hours
Source: (WBG, 2018)
Providing agricultural intelligence for the World Bank Group and Partners

13. 126.867 “Virtual Weather Stations” (VWS) – Africa has less than 300 GWS that report to WMO (WBG, 2018)
Ag Observatory Real Time Analysis: No Mega Drought But Several Pocket Droughts
Pocket Drought: current
rainfall far below normal
The actual situation (below) shows the extreme variability that is more
and more the normal

14. The role of ICTs in the agricultural sector(1/7)
 Environmental Land Use
Monitoring
The use of GIS in agriculture is
all about analyzing the land,
visualizing field data on a map,
and putting those data to work.
Powered by GIS, precision
farming enables informed
decisions and actions through
which farmers get the most out
of each acre without damaging
the environment[3]
Source: (Nesta,2018)

15. icow: A text message and voice-based mobile
phone application for small-scale dairy farmers in
Kenya.
Developed to solve the problem of permanent
access to verified agricultural content.
The app prompts farmers on vital days of cows
gestation period; helps farmers find the nearest vet
and AI(artificial Insemination)providers; collects
and stores farmer milk and breeding records and
sends farmers best dairy practices.
In Kenya and Tanzania it is available in English and
Kiswahili, in Ethiopia in Oromiffo, Amharic and
Tigringnia.
Source: www.icow.co.ke

16. Weed-killing AI robot by
ecoRobotix’s : can tell crops
apart - have the potential to
disrupt the multibillion dollar
pesticides business. Solar-
powered and can kill weeds for
12 hours straight without an
operator at the helm. EcoRobotix
uses 20 times less herbicide
than traditional methods that
spray entire fields
Source: (Utstumo etal,2018)

17. Findings
• Different studies shows that the is increase in mobile-based services
innovations which are regarded as most affordable ICT solution to help
smallholder farmers in African rural communities.
• Applications and services on mobile phones allow farmers to access
extension-advisory services such as weather and market price information.
• The use of radios is still widely used in disseminating agriculture
information to rural farmers.
• Convergence of BroadBand and Mobile Communication to Rural areas
where farming is done, which improves communication and access to
mobile money
• Use of drones and GIS based solution in securing land tenures, and
precision agriculture

18. Findings(2)
• Several challenges that were found to impede the adoption of ICT
include
oPoor technological infrastructure within the continent.
Since agriculture is predominantly done in rural communities .Most
rural communities in Africa is characterized by poor road network,
no access to electricity, and poor network connectivity. With the
majority of the farming population living in rural communities, the
absence of these technological infrastructure poses a barrier to ICT
adoption.

19. Findings(3)
oLow capacity
farmers are unable to afford the cost of servicing mobile phones
and paying for extension advisory services rendered by ICT
innovators because of their low standard of living. Also, studies 16
and 23 highlights the role of gender in ICT adoption. According to
the studies, women are not equally able to access and use ICTs
due to their unequal access to opportunities such as income and
education.

20. Findings(3)
• Poor policy environment
• According to the studies, poor prioritization of ICT initiatives, weak
monitoring, poor implementation and integration of ICTs within the
sector are due to poor ICT policies. This affects the adoption of
ICT in agriculture, especially those targeting rural communities
and rural development.
• Also, the adoption of ICT is constrained by uncoordinated and
scattered ICT initiatives

21. Findings(4)
• Inefficiencies in agriculture institutions
oICT adoption is hindered by inefficiency in agricultural research
institutions in Africa.
oDiversity among agriculture stakeholders, lack of commitment and
accountability of policymakers and agriculture experts, and lack of
incentives to undertake ground-breaking ICT research affect the
effective adoption of ICTs.
oWeak institutions, lack of information sharing, and lack of
awareness of existing ICT facilities and resources affect ICT
adoption

22. Recommendation
• Establish an agricultural hub
oLeadership, communication and creative thinking are required to
initiate and sustain agriculture projects that will have a significant
impact.
oA purpose-built Designed to be non-bureaucratic and nimble, an
agricultural hub would drive agricultural diversification, and mega
projects including agriculture projects, and initiate and coordinate

23. Recommendation
Build human capacity in rural communities
oRural communities urgently need basic education opportunities,
including basic farming skills and business management skills.
Complete reliance on e-Education is not recommended in
communities made up primarily of smallholders or subsistence
farmers but the internet can be a very valuable resource for the
teachers who provide classroom tuition.

24. Recommendation
Empower women in agriculture
oIn Africa, women perform 65 percent of all activities within the
agricultural sector.
oNot only do these women often have little access to finance, but also
they have little free time to devote to their own interests or to rest
and are physically at a disadvantage.
o Women in rural communities, and particularly those moving from
subsistence farming to small-scale farming, can benefit greatly from
ICT as these can save time and physical effort and equal access can be
monitored.

25. Conclusion(1)
oDespite the significant benefits, ICT services have proven to bring such
as access to financial facilities, agricultural information, sharing, supply,
and marketing services to smallholder farmers with the enabling
penetration of mobile phone and Internet facilities, there is a need for
more holistic approach for guiding the development of ICT initiatives.
oThe training and empowerment of smallholder farmers to enhance their
ability to interact with new agriculture technologies, development of a
favorable policy and business environment that favours the use of ICT’s
and other digital technologies.
o Strong commitment, trust, and collaborations are also needed among
the different actors in the agriculture value chain.

26. Conclusion(2)
• Since SDG 2 seeks to end hunger and malnutrition and ensure
access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food.Realising this goal
depends largely on promoting sustainable production systems
and increasing investment in rural infrastructure and agricultural
research and development,
• ICT based initiative in Africa has improved agricultural income
and labor productivity and there is also increase in investment
in agricultural research and innovation in Africa as discussed in
this presentation , therefore it contributes to SDG goal 2.

27. References (1)
• World Bank. (2015). Unlocking Africa Agricultural potential.Available
at:https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/16624
/769900WP0SDS0A00Box374393B00PUBLIC0.pdf.(Accessed13 Feb 2022).
• WBG Observatory.(2019).Harnessing ‘Ag Weather’ Big Data and Machine
Learning for productive and resilient agriculture. Available
at:https://thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/364701556637611206-
0090022019/original/KenyaDisruptiveAgTechWBGAgObservatoryApril620
19.pdf. (Accessed 13 Feb,2022).
• Utstumo, Trygve & Urdal, Frode & Brevik, Anders & Dørum, Jarle &
Netland, Jan & Overskeid, Øyvind & Berge, Therese & Gravdahl, Jan.
(2018). Robotic in-row weed control in vegetables. Computers and
Electronics in Agriculture. 154. 36-45. 10.1016/j.compag.2018.08.043.

28. References (1/2)
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