10 APPS THAT CAN BOOST AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA

With an estimated income of more than $100 billionannually, agriculture remains Africa’s largest economic sector. Agricultural production in Africa continues to increase graduallyand is almost at par with South America. However, as Africans become more tech savvy, innovationsare on the rise as technology experts turn their attention to creating mobile solutions for the modern farmer. Analysis have shown that by 2025 half of Africa’s population will have internet access with about 360 million smartphones on the continent. Also based on their estimation, internet technology could increase annual agricultural productivity in Africa by $3 billion per annum.Throughout the continent, farmers, NGOs and scientists are developing solutions to boost agriculture and make the business of farming less labour intensive. Here are some of theapps that seek to solve these problems, while also changing the face of agriculture within Africa.

1.i-cow Created by a Kenyan farmer, this SMSand voice only mobile app sends prompts to farmers to collect and store milk within the days of a cow’s cycle. Farmers are also sent information on the best dairy practices. This app runs on all mobile phones.

2.Vet AfricaA Scotland based tech company –Cojengo, in partnership with Microsoft created Vet africa. The app which is popular in East Africa is usedto diagnose livestock disease and suggest suitable medications for farmanimals. The app also helps farmers monitor and record animal data.

3.M-Farm With over 7,000 registered users,M-Farmupdates farmers on current prices of goods across the country. It provides a networking platform to connect to other farmers in order to sell their goods in larger quantities. The app also connects local farmers directly to suppliers without middle men and gives significant discounts on fertilizers and seeds.

4.Esoko This app connects projects, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), businesses and government to farmers. Currently operating in ninecountries across Africa,Esoko, formerly known as TradeNet providesagricultural content, marketing, advisory and monitoring services for farmers and potential investors.

5.EZ Farms According to Dr. Kala Fleming,EZ farmsapp is aimed at aiding entrepreneurs who are investing in small scale farming and those who live in urban areas, far away from where their farms are located. Designed by water research scientistsat IBM research-Africa, the EZ farms app delivers up-to-the-minute insight about current and predicted soil moisture levels to farmers and water providers on smart phones.

6.Agro-Hub Agro-Hub was developed by a Cameroonian business venture of the same name whose main goal is to make ‘Cameroon’s agricultural market work. In order to achieve this goal, Agro-Hubexplores joint community effort, SMS and the internet to source,manage and disseminate information on anything pertaining to agriculture.

7.Cocoa LinkCreated in 2011,Cocoa Linkis a mobile technology application that delivers practical information from agricultural experts to farmers in English and local languages at no cost. This technology is available in Ghana, the world’s second largest cocoa producer, and has over 100,000 users.

8.Kilimo Salama Also known as ‘Safe Agriculture’,Kilimo Salamawas created by the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and Kenyan telecom operator, Safaricom.Kilimo Salama provides farmersw with up-to-date and full climate data via text message. Farmers that are connected to this app also receive information on ways to increase productivity, ensure food security and also protect their crops during bad weather.

9.Kuza DoctorThis app enables farmers to receive specific information on crop growth, soil and other general questions through SMS. Created by theBackpack farmersin Kenya, the app is supposed to help farmers grow better crops by employing environment friendly techniques.

10.  Modisar Farmers in Botswana are able to tracktheir farm records, cattle herds, farm costs and sales with the Modisar desktop application which run both on and offline. In addition, Modisar sends advice to farmers on animal vaccinations, feed and nutrition also, they receive instructions on finance via text messages. This app won the Orange African Social Venture award in 2014.

Comments

  1. Anonymous9 October 2016 at 09:29

    The problem is if farmers have access to these apps

    ReplyDelete

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