The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) shut down its activities in December 2020 at the end of its mandate. The administrative closure of the Centre was completed in November 2021.
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Opportunities in Agriculture: Stemming youth migration

From drones to Internet-of-Things, blockchain and AI, the proliferation of accessible digital technologies are opening tremendous opportunities to transform smallholder agriculture into profitable, sustainable and inclusive businesses.

Africa’s growing youth workforce also presents enormous potential for agricultural transformation but, to capitalise on this promising resource, the sector must become a more attractive employment option for the continent’s young people. There is a pressing need to build the capacity of Africa’s youth, not just in terms of modern farming skills, but critically in digital skills and business acumen in order to foster agricultural prosperity and economic growth.

The speed at which digitalisation for agriculture (D4Ag) is developing, particularly in Africa, provides exciting opportunities. In 2013, when CTA organised the first international conference on ‘ICT4Ag’ in Rwanda, there had been little previous activity in the sector. But, in the last 5-6 years, there has been a huge increase in new digital solutions coming into the market, as well as interest from major donors and governments to leverage digitalisation to transform smallholder agriculture. CTA has been a pioneer in this area, and it is pleasing to see big players coming into the space.

In this issue

Interview

Michael Hailu: “Digitalisation: a game changer in transforming smallholder agriculture”

As CTA launch a landmark report on digitalisation in agriculture in Africa, Michael Hailu, director of CTA highlights his hopes that the report will help inform other actors and inspire and engage investors by identifying impact and investment opportunities in this critical sector.

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Issue

En Afrique, 420 millions de personnes (soit 60 % de la population) ont entre 15 et 35 ans. Un nombre qui devrait doubler d’ici à 2040. Sur le continent, l’agriculture est un secteur primordial, puisqu’il représente près des deux tiers des emplois. “Ils l’ont fait !” met ainsi en évidence les réalisations de 24 jeunes entrepreneurs promus par AgribusinessTV, une webtélé créée en 2016 au Burkina Faso.

Issue

by and

In the 48 pages of their annual report, CTA demonstrates the extent to which their actions in support of digitalisation contribute to agricultural transformation in ACP countries. “It is becoming increasingly evident that a strong focus on digitalisation as a means to drive agricultural transformation is bearing dividends in the forms of increased production, better livelihoods, more efficient value chains and ultimately greater food and nutrition security,” is the message from Michael Hailu, CTA Director.

Issue

The 2019 Global Report on Food Crises: Joint Analysis for Better Decisions is a product of the Global Network against Food Crises. It is the result of a collaborative effort involving 15 leading global and regional institutions – including the EU, FAO and WFP – to share data, analyses, knowledge and expertise regarding people facing food crises.

Africa’s growing youth workforce presents enormous potential for agricultural transformation, but to capitalise on this promising resource the sector must become a more attractive employment option for the continent’s young people.