Nairobi — The agricultural sector is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for an estimated 19-29 percent, according to the World Bank. This figure climbs to 40 percent emissions produced throughout the entire agricultural value chain - encompassing transportation, storage, and processing – are considered.
With the global population expected to double by 2050 - and the resulting increased demand for food - emissions from agriculture are expected to increase. To counter that trend, what action can be taken to stem the harm to the environment?
Agricultural technologies can reduce environmental damage from food production.
The solution lies in embracing agricultural technology – known as Agtech - to revolutionise agricultural practices, boost yields, increase farmer incomes, and promote sustainability. Technologies such as climate-smart agriculture, precision farming and digital tools for value chain optimization, as well as carbon sequestration – which are methods of capturing and storing carbon in soil - all aim at raising the production per square inch of agricultural land, while recovering more from loss and damage.
Agtech offers numerous tools and techniques for sustainable crop and livestock management, including the use of climate-resilient seeds and improved breeding techniques that result in higher yields with reduced land, water, and chemical inputs. By increasing the productivity of land, agtech helps preserve natural ecosystems, reduces deforestation, and prevents the conversion of additional land for agriculture, thus mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.
Soil health technologies are also important for transforming the output of agricultural land for increased food production and soil sequestration. Soil mapping and monitoring enable farmers to apply the appropriate nutrients in the right quantities, leading to enhanced crop productivity and increasing the capacity to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. Additionally, through regenerative agricultural practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage, and agroforestry, agtech actively contributes to carbon sequestration.
Other global climate goals also are linked to climate-smart agriculture. Digital technologies for weather forecasting and data-driven analytics can provide farmers with real-time information on rain patterns, crop diseases, and market conditions. As a result, farmers are equipped to make climate- smart decisions, such as adjusting planting schedules, selecting suitable crop varieties, and adopting climate-resilient farming techniques. The AgriBot co-developed by AGRA and Microsoft is one such approach, designed to optimise resource utilisation and minimise climate-related risks, ultimately helping farmers adapt to changing climatic conditions.
The AgriBot provides valuable agricultural information to farmers through SMS and social media platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram. Deployed in two Kenyan counties since 2020, the Bot today serves 47,470 farmers with vital information on good agronomic practices, pest management, weather prediction, and insurance as well as linkages to county approved agrodealers and certified seed varieties. The same is being scaled to three other counties in Kenya and three countries of Nigeria, Malawi and Uganda through the partnership of AGRA and IFC.
African farmers - and the environment - benefit from leveraging data to make decisions.
Precision farming involves the application of data collected using drones and sensors to drive precision irrigation and nutrient management. This minimises wastage of resources, prevents pollution from excess chemicals, and decreases the overall carbon footprint of agricultural operations.
CropIn’s Smartfarm is a good example of farm monitoring and management solutions that utilise advanced analytics to help farmers geotag their land, digitise their records, and optimise their use of water, fertilisers, and pesticides. The tool also supports the real-time monitoring of crop performance.
So far the initiative has digitalised 10,626 village-based advisors in six countries - Burkina Faso, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Tanzania – where it supports delivery of inputs, services and information to 2.7 million farmers on nearly 600 million hectares of land. Overall, the World Economic Forum estimates that the adoption of precision agriculture on 15-25 percent of farms could boost global yield by 10-15 percent by 2030. It would also lead to a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 20 percent decrease in water usage.
The optimisation of agricultural value chains is critical in advancing food and nutrition sufficiency without increasing the amount of land under cultivation. Technologies like blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) enable better tracking, traceability, and management of agricultural products throughout the value chain. This reduces post-harvest losses, optimises transportation routes, and ensures timely delivery, thereby lowering energy consumption and emissions.
A good example is the deployment of IBM technology in Rwanda that combines satellite data with machine learning to identify where maize is grown and the forecasted yield. Farmer organisations can also use the technology to identify areas of low yields and provide timely output-enhancing measures such as an adequate supply of fertilisers.
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Yet, even with the transformative nature of the technologies, many remain beyond the reach of a vast majority of smallholder farmers in Africa, due to the high costs of acquisition and lack of infrastructure to support such solutions. In the short-term, stakeholders can ensure an equitable and inclusive transition through investments in digital infrastructure and connectivity, driven by a collaborative approach for developing a conducive policy environment, and the advancement of regional integration.
Sustained investments in agricultural research and development remain crucial, as has been shown in developed countries, which increased their adoption of agtech by committing 3.25 percent of their GDP compared to only 0.52 percent in developing countries. The increasing disparity in research and development expenditure exacerbates the gap in productivity, thereby rendering the poorest countries incapable of rapid progress.
Nixon Gecheo is a Senior Programme Officer at AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa).
