Saturday, November 23African Digital Business Magazine

Agriculture

Agriculture

Focus on agriculture at WEF’s virtual Davos event reflects growing criticality of food security, says sustainability champion Dake Rechsand
Agriculture

Focus on agriculture at WEF’s virtual Davos event reflects growing criticality of food security, says sustainability champion Dake Rechsand

The great reset, following the unprecedented crisis of a global pandemic, lends a window of opportunity to accelerate the response to climate change and hunger. Dake Rechsand lauds the shift in global agenda, towards sustainable growth. The World Economic Forum's Davos event - the annual meeting of global political leaders and business elite, which shapes policies and partnerships for a more inclusive, cohesive and sustainable future - was held virtually this year, due to the continuing global pandemic. In a departure from previous editions, Davos 2021 featured an increased focus on agriculture and food production, along with their knock-on effects on climate change, water scarcity and deforestation. "These developments reflect how the pandemic has reset our attention, on to pressing issue...
Five Tech Megatrends that can Transform African economies in 2021 and beyond
African News, Agriculture, Fintech, Main, Medicine

Five Tech Megatrends that can Transform African economies in 2021 and beyond

The world has been experiencing massive digital disruption with the relentless rollout and adoption of disruptive and innovative technologies. Embracing digital disruption is daunting, since it is extremely unsettling with the rapid change brought about within societies and the severe impact on unskilled labor. Even if the African continent will not be spared by digital disruption, Africa cannot afford to be left out of these global technology (Tech) trends. If technology is wisely implemented, developing African countries are able to hop on the digital bandwagon to rapidly undergo a digital revolution that can boost their respective economies. While disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing, augmented and virtual reality, and others are becoming more and...
Tapping into Digital Technology Platforms  to Increase Agriculture Productivity in Africa
Agriculture, Main, Mali News, Nigeria News, Senegal News, Zambia News

Tapping into Digital Technology Platforms to Increase Agriculture Productivity in Africa

by Johan Burger Introduction Africa is a bit of an anomaly as far as agriculture is concerned. On the one hand, it has 65% of the world’s available uncultivated arable land, and it has the potential to feed the world. However, a country such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has the potential to feed Africa’s 1.2 billion people, struggles to feed its own population of about 70 million. On the other hand, the continent is a net importer of food to the tune of US$41 billion annually. This figure is set to grow to US$110 billion by 2025 should nothing change. We also find that the average age of farmers in Africa is about 63 years, and 85% of farming activity takes place on smallholder plots of 2 - 3 hectares each. At the same time, the youth of Africa are fed-up with the p...
Friday@Noon on Agriculture in Africa – 2018
Agriculture, Angola News, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia News, Ghana News, Kenya News, Mozambique News, Nigeria News, Rwanda News, South Africa News, South Sudan, Tanzania News, Uganda News, Zimbabwe News

Friday@Noon on Agriculture in Africa – 2018

by Johan Burger This paper addresses events and trends in the agriculture sector in Africa for 2018. It is based on the media articles addressed in the Friday@Noon weekly newsletters of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies in Singapore. These are by no means meant to constitute an exhaustive list of developments. General Agriculture in Africa has been identified as a sector with the capacity to stimulate economic growth on the continent. What is necessary, is the industrialization of the sector, with a strong focus on improving the inputs, e.g. better quality seeds, fertiliser, irrigation and modern farming techniques. Transforming the sector into a lucrative one, is an important step to convince various stakeholders to see farming as a good business opportunity. The industrialisation of...