We have seen many African techpreneurs tapping into different sectors in agritech, however, the peak of technology farming is yet to get the necessary attention it deserves.

To make use of the most promising innovations, technologies like vertical farming, indoor greenhouses, and controlled environment farming need to be launched in African to help meet and overcome our current challenge in food security.

Vertical farms use high tech lighting and climate-controlled buildings to grow crops indoors while using less water and soil. The modern ideas of vertical farming use indoor techniques and controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) technology, where all environmental factors can be controlled.

CEA is a technology-based approach toward food production and it is to provide protection and maintain optimal growing conditions throughout the development of the crop. Production takes place within an enclosed growing structure such as a greenhouse or building.

Since it’s a closed growing system with controlled evaporation from plants, these farms use 95% less water than traditional farms.

Over time, there has been an increase in the number of vertical farming enterprises in the world, especially in North America and Asia. In the US, Chicago is home to several vertical farms, while New Jersey is home to AeroFarms, which is also the world’s largest vertical farm. Other countries such as Japan, Singapore, Italy and Brazil have also witnessed a rise in their vertical farms.

In fact, Netherlands is on the verge of completing its first large-scale commercial vertical indoor farm which is expected to serve Europe’s largest supermarket chains with high quality, pesticide-free fresh-cut lettuce. As the trend continues, vertical farming is expected to be valued at US$5.80 billion by the year 2022.

With the precedent that has been set, it is quite obvious that Africa has unique opportunities for vertical farms and Controlled Environment Agriculture.

The beautiful part of it is that most vertical farms do not need soil because they use aeroponics or hydroponic systems which dispenses nutrients needed for plants to grow via mist or water. This technique is ideal for meeting the challenges of urbanisation and the rising demand by consumers for high-quality, pesticide-free food in Africa.

South Africa has taken various initiatives to spur innovation in its agriculture sector. Also, other Sub-Saharan African cities in Nigeria and Kenya, South African metropolises are joining the footsteps of many global cities to introduce sustainable urban indoor farming. But much more needs to be done.

Although, we can’t turn away our eyes from the effort that has been made to launch Vertical Farming, and CEA  across Africa, so much more needs to be done.

With the population expected to rise in most African cities, this is the right time to start investing in innovative urban agriculture practices.

Why Vertical Farming Need to be Adopted in Africa

1. Land can be conserved

The great thing about vertical farming is that it takes up less space. In fact, these farms are currently being run inside buildings in cities. With irrigable land fast running out in some major cities across as urbanisation speeds up, being able to grow entire crops in an enclosed could help stave off future food shortages.

2. The quantity of Chemical Needed is reduced

Since plants are not subjected to insects and severe weather patterns, crops are less exposed to pesticides, fungicides and insecticides.

3. A stable food source

With the absence of floods, rain and drought in vertical farming, healthy crops are almost guaranteed all year-round, eliminating the possibility of shortages. Season-specific produce such as citrus, berries and avocados can also be grown throughout the year regardless of weather conditions.

4. It’s quick

Aeroponic farming has enabled growers to harvest and propagate tomatoes within 10 days. Normal farming methods would take between 6 to 8 weeks to produce a full-grown plant.

5. We can use it in space

Since the plants don’t require any sunlight or soil, Agric produce can grow in space. Scientists have already started testing aeroponics on various seeds to determine the best way to grow produce in outer space.

6.  It’s cost-effective

Although to purchase a sizeable building to farm in, the overall infrastructure and equipment needed is quite expensive, however, in the long-run, vertical farms cost far less to maintain than full-fledged conventional set-ups.

7. The products are more nutritious

In some cases, vertical farmers add more nutrients to the water or mist being sprayed on the plants. The plants absorb these nutrients, making them richer in vitamins and minerals than many mass-produced crops.

8. The great avenue to create more jobs

Since these plants need to be maintained by many hands, more workers may be needed.

Having highlighted why vertical farming should be focused on in Africa, techpreneurs, innovators and entrepreneurs should start thinking of how to specialise in growing Agric produce vertically to meet the rising demand for food in Africa.

If vertical farming can be adopted fully in Africa, the pressure that a growing population brings will be relieved.

The post The Need for Vertical Farming in Africa appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.

Photo Credit: spore.cta.int

Technical solutions to food tracking, traceability and distribution are enabling agribusinesses along the value chain to better manage and expand their operations. Such innovations also help farmers and farmer organisations to establish and strengthen links with buyers.

Around the world, new technologies are helping to maximise efficiency in the distribution of fresh produce from farms to markets. Farmforce – one such innovation that’s having a global impact – is a cloud-based mobile and web platform, which supports the professional relationship between smallholder farmers and buyers, enabling increased transparency along the value chain through the collation of detailed farm data. Food companies across 25 different countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America use the platform to coordinate the activities of over 250,000 farmers and ensure food meets safety and sustainability standards.

In Haiti, Acceso Peanut Enterprise Corporation, an agribusiness built by the Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership in 2014, uses Farmforce to help oversee their rural operations. Acceso collects groundnuts from more than 3,000 Haitian farmers at depots located near farming communities, tests the nuts to ensure they do not exceed aflatoxin limits and sells them on to large buyers. The company not only provides a ready market for its network of smallholders at a fair price, but also offers the farmers training in good agricultural practices and inputs on credit, to improve their groundnut yields and quality.

Since its launch, Farmforce has enabled Acceso to manage its daily operations and keep comprehensive records of farm data, training attendance, yield forecasts, loan repayments and harvest purchases. Access to this data from the last 4 years has allowed Acceso to assess the impact of its operations and gain a better understanding of which strategies are the most effective for sustainably delivering higher quantity and quality groundnut yields. “Farmforce’s ability to log geo-references for farmer registration, field visits, and survey responses gives me the ability to see where my team is and what work they are doing in real-time,” explains Patrick Dann Dorzin, deputy operations manager at Acceso. With Farmforce’s help, Acceso has tested and sold 800 t of groundnuts since its launch and has begun to expand its portfolio to include other crops such as lime, mango, moringa, sorghum, sisal and castor.

Enhancing aggregation

The efficient distribution of fresh produce is not entirely reliant on technology; aggregation centres and collection points play a key role in ensuring food supplied by smallholder producers makes it to the market in the safe, fresh and high-quality condition required by buyers. Through its FoodTrade programme, the NGO Farm Africa has focused its support on farmers’ organisations, village aggregation centres (VACs) and satellite collection points in Tanzania and Uganda. The NGO builds the business and governance capacities of these farmers’ organisations and VACs to help them establish long-term links with buyers and sustainably grow their business.

Using digital market information systems, Farm Africa has also enabled farmers’ organisations and VACs to monitor market prices, which ensure the aggregators have leverage to negotiate a fair and competitive price for produce. Improved aggregation and access to market information, has helped supported organisations and VACs sell 104,700 t of aggregated produce and gain higher prices than the value most farmers would previously have received at local markets. At the farmer-level, Farm Africa has worked to advocate the benefits of aggregation to farmers and, in just over 2 years, 72,800 farmers have started aggregating their produce.

Run like clockwork

Kenyan start-up, Selina Wamucii, allows buyers to source, aggregate, and redistribute fresh produce from African smallholders to markets (domestic and export) through its mobile platform. To join the platform, farmers simply text Selina Wamucii a code and, with the data, the company is able to map a farmer’s location, their produce and the volume harvested. Working with over 3,000 farmers, the company organises them into small groups according to crop variety and coordinated by produce agents. At harvest, the crop volume produced is recorded on the platform and farmers are immediately paid via their mobiles; a traceability code is also generated so that the produce can be tracked from its origins to the market.

Selina Wamucii then grades, packages, distributes and markets the produce under 10 different brands, including Mount Kenya Fresh Avocados, Kenya Herbs & Spices and Essential Oils of Africa. “We’re tapping into the power of mobile phones to transform the value chain while passing the benefits of an efficient chain on to the farmers and produce buyers,” explains Kariuki Gaita, co-founder of Selina Wamucii. The company’s success is evidence that with the right technologies and relevant capacities in place, food produced by smallholder farmers across the world can meet the demands of international markets.

Credit: CTA Spore

The post Farm To Fork: Innovations Reshaping Smallholders’ Market Access appeared first on MTFC | Meet The Farmers Conference - Nov 2019 - Dubai UAE.