By Samuel
Nigeria will experience a total transformation of its agricultural industry if she prioritises mechanisation and digital solutions, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) has said.
According to the AATF, these facets will upscale agricultural productivity, accelerated market access, informed pricing, financing opportunities, and result-oriented extension services across the country.
The Foundation opined that technology can become a catalyst for the transformation of the agriculture sector in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
The AATF made this submission in its agricultural programme overview of African farmers.
Sub-Saharan Africa, as the AATF noted, remains the least region as regards the facilitation of mechanised agricultural system compared to the rest of the world.
It said that farmers averaged a tenth of the mechanised tools of their peers in other developing regions.
The AATF added that there is a dire need for governments across the continent to adopt mechanised and digital solutions to combat the challenges daunting African farmers.
“This lack of mechanisation has undermined the competitiveness of African farmers, reducing their productivity and exacerbating a vicious cycle where they are unable to invest in modern machinery and in digital technology they require.
“Population growth and changing lifestyles are creating a surge in demand for food, well beyond the current capacity of the sector. The rapid urbanization of African societies adds to the urgency.
“As individuals increasingly move to the cities, rural labour rates are likely to rise and farms will need to do more with fewer available hands and produce ever more food to meet the swelling demand.
“Mechanisation and digital solutions offer geometric production increase, accelerated market access, informed pricing, more financing opportunities, and results-oriented extension services required to drive radical change of the sector.
“It is critical to not only identify appropriate mechanisation and digital technologies to markets to enhance their availability, access, and proper application by smallholder farmers for improved returns,” the Foundation said.
The AATF further stated that it was working to provide farmers with tools that will increase their productivity, investment in their farmers, and access to new markets.
It urged African governments to also address the challenges posed by population growth, changing lifestyles, rapid urbanization, and low agricultural workforce, among others.