The two fields of activity, which at first glance seem diametrically opposed, are closer than they appear. The concept of "e-agriculture" focuses on the use of ICT to promote agricultural and rural development. It's a sector that's virtually untapped under our skies. With a few practical examples of e-agriculture applications in place, we'll show you how innovators and entrepreneurs can capitalize on this potential in Cameroon and Africa.
And at different stages of the production chain. On a global level, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which is leading e-agriculture initiatives, has identified a number of key technologies for agriculture. These include cell phones, geospatial technologies, global satellite navigation systems and geographic information systems (GIS)... But what possibilities could ICTs open up for agriculture and the farming world?
Firstly, in the context of production monitoring, ICTs help to better manage the agricultural calendar, the weather, adaptation to climate change, among other things. In Cameroon, the Ministry of Agriculture and Sustainable Development reports that the Far North region had a gross cereal deficit of 15,249 tonnes in 2022. The cause was the November floods. Today, in the context of e-agriculture, innovators are proposing applications to provide producers with cutting-edge weather information to help them adapt to climate change. They are thus able to make decisions to predict rainfall variations and limit this kind of inconvenience. This is the case in Mali, where the "MaliCrop" application, created with the support of the Centre-Réseau des technologies climatiques, provides producers with forecasts of temperatures, humidity levels and rainfall. Similarly, in Ethiopia, farmers have received automated weather stations that provide them with reliable climatic information, as part of the Market Approaches to Resilience project. These are all tools that can help to better manage climatic risks, by providing early warning systems.
Secondly, one of the main areas of application of ICT in agriculture is market access for producers. Transparency is key to increasing incomes. This is made possible by tools that increase the ability of smallholders to sell on larger markets, or of buyers to track harvests right back to the source. Applications are even being developed to support the traceability of value-added products in developing countries, and the transfer of financial resources directly to farmers by consumers. By accessing available market information, farmers have more choice and improve their bargaining power. These tools also help reduce post-harvest losses. While these applications are beginning to spread in Africa, they are rather rare in Cameroon. There are exceptions, however, such as the camagro.com website, which is a kind of virtual marketplace. It also provides information on good agricultural practices.
Here, the drone offers many potential applications, to improve farmers' decision-making and thus facilitate the necessary support, as indicated in the report " Drones on the horizon: Transforming agriculture in Africa ", written by a high-level African panel on emerging technologies. Applications include mapping, land-use planning, inspection, tracking and surveillance, delivery of goods, farm asset management, crop damage assessment and more.
Ultimately, depending on the agricultural innovation of the players in the value chain, the potential for e-agriculture in Cameroon and Africa is infinite, provided that access to connectivity infrastructures and ICTs improves, particularly in rural areas, by reducing the digital divide. It's up to innovators to plough this fallow field.
Contributor : Regis B.
