Uber for tractors: Africa’s smallholder farmers plug in digital tools

Until a year ago, it would take Pamela Auma a month to prepare the land on her farm in western Kenya for planting ahead of the rainy season.

Across Africa, a growing number of smallholder farmers are tapping into digital technology to access information, services and products to improve efficiency, boost crop yields and increase incomes. “Africa is the world’s breadbasket — or should be. It has vast arable land, grows a wide variety of crops and has vast irrigation potential with seven major rivers,” Ordu said. “Yet, Africa imported $43bn worth of food items in 2019. Digital technologies ... are eliminating the traditional inefficiencies of smallholder food production and helping to close the yield gap.”

But while many farmers struggle to grow enough to make a living, the world needs more food, fast. The World Resources Institute predicts the global population will reach close to 10-billion by 2050, and to feed that number of people, food production will need to grow by nearly 60%. There are also apps, such as DigiFarm in Kenya, which act as one-stop shops that let farmers bypass middlemen to access low-cost seed and fertilisers, loans and insurance providers, and bulk purchasers.

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