These two fields, which may seem worlds apart at first glance, are actually much closer than they appear. The concept of "e-agriculture" focuses on using ICT to promote agricultural and rural development—a sector that is largely untapped in our region. Through practical examples of existing e-agriculture applications, we will show you how innovators and entrepreneurs can tap into this potential in Cameroon and across Africa.
This applies across various stages of the production chain. Globally, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, which leads initiatives in e-agriculture, highlights several key technologies for farming. These include mobile phones, geospatial technologies, global navigation satellite systems, and geographic information systems (GIS). So, what new possibilities can ICT open up for agriculture and the farming community?
First, in production monitoring, ICT helps improve the management of farming schedules and weather tracking, as well as adaptation to climate change. In Cameroon, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development reported a gross cereal deficit of 15,249 tonnes in the Far North region in 2022, largely due to November floods. Today, as part of e-agriculture initiatives, innovators are offering apps that give farmers advanced weather information to adapt to climate change. This enables them to anticipate rainfall variations and prevent such setbacks. For example, in Mali, the "MaliCrop" app, created with support from the Climate Technology Centre and Network, provides producers with forecasts on temperature, humidity levels, and rainfall. Similarly, in Ethiopia, livestock farmers have received automated weather stations providing reliable climate data through the Market Approaches to Resilience project. These tools help manage climate risks by providing early warning systems.
Next, one of the main applications of ICT in agriculture is improving market access for producers. Such transparency helps boost incomes through tools that increase smallholders' ability to sell in larger markets or allow buyers to trace crops back to their source. Some apps even support the traceability of value-added products in developing countries and enable consumers to transfer funds directly to farmers. By accessing available market information, farmers gain more choices and improve their bargaining power. These tools also help reduce post-harvest losses. While these apps are spreading across Africa, they remain quite rare in Cameroon. However, there are exceptions, such as the website camagro.com, which serves as a virtual marketplace and also provides information on good agricultural practices.
Drones offer significant potential here, helping farmers make better decisions and facilitating necessary support, as noted in the report Drones on the Horizon: Transforming Africa's Agriculture, produced by an African high-level panel on emerging technologies. Applications include mapping, land management, inspection, monitoring and surveillance, goods delivery, farm asset management, and crop damage assessment, among others.
Ultimately, depending on agricultural innovation across the value chain, the potential of e-agriculture in Cameroon and Africa is limitless, provided that access to connectivity infrastructure and ICT improves—especially in rural areas—by bridging the digital divide. It is up to innovators to cultivate this fertile ground.
Contributor: Regis B.
