Across Africa, climate change is a major threat to agriculture, especially for farmers in developing markets. Technology is one way of enabling smallholder farmers to become more resilient and to weather climate change, experts say, but leveraging it is a matter of urgency.
Case studies across Africa demonstrate the positive impact that access to even the most basic mobile technology can offer smallholder farmers. This underscores the importance of driving inclusive access to digital technology, especially mobile-based tech, to help the continent’s farmers mitigate the impact of climate change.
According to Takalani Netshitenzhe, external affairs director for Vodacom South Africa, sustainably increasing farming productivity is imperative. “Technology has a great role to play as a developmental tool. There is anecdotal evidence of this development in the markets in which [we] operate within the continent, where smartphone penetration is still low but small-scale farmers are not outpaced.”
When it comes to climate change, Africa is in grave danger, experts reckon. In the form of extreme weather conditions such as the increased intensity and frequency of droughts, extreme heat, erratic rainfall patterns, heavier storms, and flooding, climate change presents a major threat to agricultural development.
Extreme and unpredictable weather conditions cause greater crop volatility, hamper livestock yields and increase the likelihood of pest and disease outbreaks which, in turn, has a massive impact on the economy.
The stage is being set for success
Meanwhile, Vodacom has heeded the call and has made some strides in easing rural and farming communities’ access to technology.
“Across the continent, where Vodacom operates, examples show how simple mobile-based technology can unlock opportunities, even for farmers using entry-level feature phones, no matter where they are based,” says Netshitenzhe.
In South Africa, the mobile communications company has partnered with UN Women and South African Women in Farming (SAWIF) to establish and drive a Women Farmers Programme aimed at making agriculture more accessible and profitable for women.
They do this by teaching beneficiaries how to use apps to connect to potential customers and unlock economic growth opportunities.
The project has so far trained more than 2 000 women while the SAWIF database of farmers is now digitised and easily accessible by all the women who have received computer literacy and basic business management training.
“By pinpointing where farmers are struggling and proposing the path forward on the back of technology,” Netshitenzhe adds, “we can make impactful, sustainable changes that will promote climate-smart agriculture on the continent.”
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