Enabling smallholder farmers with Tech
Enabling smallholder farmers with Tech
A Case for Digitalisation and AgTech
In a 2021 report by the UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development it was emphasised that Agri-food systems are at the heart of the 2030 Agenda and impacting all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
In may aspects and especially in relation to smallholder farming, UNDP is leading by example across the globe by sharing climate-smart agricultural tools and practices, promoting livelihood diversification, new policies, as well as cues on transformative changes needed in social traditions to empower those behind on the innovation curve.
Digitalisation as an enabler for maximising development impact.
The 2021 report was compiled with a main goal of contributing to the acceleration of efforts to create a new paradigm of agricultural production, based on "resilient, equitable, healthy, and inclusive sustainable agri-food systems." as quoted by Riad Meddeb, Director of a.i. at the time (UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation and Sustainable Development)
That dreaded deadline.
What are the basic figures we need to hit....
Many of us are well aware that in the coming years world agriculture will need to undergo a major transformation (read: Agri 4.0) to meet the future demands of a growing population. By 2050 (to put it into perspective, that's a little more than 3 decades from now!) the food industry will have to face the daunting challenge of feeding around 10 billion people. It's generally stated that we'll need to almost double our food supply (in a sustainable way) to make this a reality.
Why the focus on smallholder farmers in developing countries?
These farmers constitute about 90% of all farmers worldwide, and they are undoubtedly a major part of the global food security equation.
However, various challenges prevent these farmers from turning farming into a viable and sustainable source of livelihood. Low farm productivity, generally a lack of access to inputs, credit, and markets, and an acute vulnerability to shocks such as extreme weather
events, now increasingly in frequency.
Okay, so the food security challenge is immense, and far reaching. But it's clear that the tools available are plentiful, and the list is growing. How is this good news?
Precision agriculture is a farm management approach (a multitool if you will) that uses data and technology aiming to make farming simpler, more efficient, and more productive.
Precision agricultural tools and technologies reduce the need for agricultural inputs like water, fertilisers, and pesticides, thereby reducing input costs over time and the environmental footprint of agricultural production.
The use of technology also reduces the need for physical labour while improving productivity, ultimately enhancing the profitability of farming as a source of livelihood.
Although very real market entry barriers in terms of cost exist, we are seeing that digital technologies are even making precision agricultural solutions increasingly affordable to smallholder farmers in developing countries.
The major trends and tools include:
Mobile phones and mobile applications
Remote sensing using satellites
Remote sensing using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs)
On-site sensors, and The Internet of Things (IoT)
Advances in data processing and analytics (which comes with IoT)
The adoption of the technologies listed above are being helped along by growing mobile phone and Internet penetration (especially in remote areas, like Starlink in Nigeria) and the falling costs of data worldwide.
1. Mobile Phones
The growth in smartphone users in areas like Africa is showing to be a true catalyst for precision agriculture mobile app use within farming communities. And the mobile phone is arguably the most transformative technology right now enabling precision agriculture for smallholder farmers.
Mobile phones enable two-way communication between farmers, their workers, suppliers, markets, and consulting experts; offer real-time "in-your-pocket" monitoring, and they support the easy collection, digitisation, and archiving of important in-field data.
2. Remote sensing using satellites
Satellites are also supporting precision agriculture in a big way. This is made possible through the increasing availability of high-resolution imagery from satellites. Satellite imagery provides a snapshot of a large area of farmland in a single dated image. This imagery can be analysed by the farmer, or consultant, or additionally through the use of machine learning (ML) algorithms in order to generate application guidelines, offer nutrient or deficiency status updates and general crop health monitoring and to an extent yield estimation for individual farms.
The challenges to using Satellite imagery for smallholders particularly may include:
Limited accessibility due to internet connectivity constraints.
Limited availability of imagery due to cloud-cover, particularly for farming regions closer to the equator.
Low-res imagery for smaller farms, fields or orchards.
Generally speaking, a low contrast between high, medium, and low value outputs from multispectral information maps for example, which complicates data interpretation and adds confusion and hinders the formation of solid conclusions based off of the imagery received.
3. Remote sensing using UAVs (Drones)
Albeit less scalable than satellites, UAVs also offer remote sensing capabilities but with much higher resolutions than what is currently possible with satellite imaging. High resolution datasets are enabling additional applications like weed and pest detection, anomaly detections, crop-load statistics, and yield forecasting.
Based on information gathered vis drones, variable rate application maps can be generated specifying the amounts of inputs should be applied where (e.g., fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, organic matter, or bio-stimulants), thereby helping avoid their excessive application and misuse.
In addition to remote sensing, UAVs can also be used for precise application of these inputs themselves, substantially reducing the amount of physical labour required, as well as human exposure to some of the harsher applications.
While the technology remains largely unaffordable for individual smallholder farmers, contractors can leverage ‘drone-as-a-service’ business models to cater to a large number of farmers through farmer groups or cooperatives, as well as booking drone service providers in their regions who service a list of local clientele.
4. On-site sensors
Various onsite sensors can also be used to collect accurate farm-level data (soil moisture, soil pH, temperature, humidity, and many more) to help farmers make decisions related to sowing, irrigation, fertiliser applications, and harvesting.
Sensor effectiveness (it's impact on farming operations) is largely enabled by advances in wireless networking technologies like Low-Power Wide Area Network technologies, cloud computing data processing, and cloud storage for archiving.
5. Data Processing Advancements
While there have been many advancements in big data processing capabilities, key barriers include the lack of digital infrastructure like Internet and electricity, lack of awareness and digital skills among farmers, in addition to high costs of some of the above solutions like remote sensors and the use of UAVs.
Availability of digital infrastructure is a major bottleneck in scaling precision agriculture solutions, particularly in rural and remote areas. Public-private partnerships and technological innovation will play an important role in making available at least basic Internet coverage for all farmers, and exposure to mobile-first applications that make an immediate positive impact on decision making capabilities and efficient data use.
In closing, it cannot be ignored that while options exist, we still have a long way to go in terms of making tech and innovation available and accessible to more smallholder farmers that make up the majority of today's producers.
A lack of digital skills and literacy among smallholder farmers also remains a major barrier in leveraging the potential of digital technologies. According to the UNDP report mentioned earlier, the public and private sectors could partner with civil society organisations (CSOs) and leverage their on-ground presence (agricultural extension workers, etc) for delivering hands-on trainings and building digital capacities of farmers.
Till next time,