Smart-tech and innovation

Offering crop advice and financing in Kenya

by Bob Koigi

A Kenyan agricultural fin-tech company is using machine learning, remote sensing and mobile technology to boost yields and maximise smallholder farmers profits by providing them with customised advice and financing.

AgriPredict: informed farming for Zambia’s smallholders

by Emmanuel Maduka

A risk and disaster management tool using artificial intelligence (AI) has been developed by Zambian agri-tech company, AgriPredict, to help smallholders overcome agricultural challenges, such as droughts, pests and diseases.

Senegalese start-up revolutionises fish sales

by Matteo Maillard

A first-of-its kind e-commerce platform is connecting fishermen with customers in Senegal, and offering a same-day delivery service for online orders.

Investment app delivers financial inclusion for Nigerian farmers

by Inioluwa Oluwagbemi

A new mobile app is enabling people across Africa to save money to invest in agricultural production and build up interest on their savings, whilst providing loans for smallholder farmers.

Crowdfunding platform supports Ivorian producers

by Vincent Defait and Sophie Reeve

In Côte d’Ivoire, a fundraising platform offers consumers the possibility to financially support small farmers in exchange for harvests at a discount.

Building Jamaica’s creditworthiness with blockchain

by Natalie Dookie

Pioneering technology in the Caribbean is aiming to help financial institutions make better farming investment decisions in order to provide unbanked farmers with credit.

Kenyan farmers optimise water use with mobile phones

by Bob Koigi and Toby Penrhys-Evans

Remote monitoring of greenhouses is allowing Kenyan smallholders to irrigate their crops from afar and improve their quality of life.

Renewable technology confronts Kenya’s food waste

by Justus Wanzala

Mobile refrigerated units, powered using solar energy, are providing farmers with an opportunity to preserve their produce at a convenient time and place.

Cycling for organic cocoa in Côte d’Ivoire

by Sophie Reeve and Cléophas Mosala

Innovative technologies in West Africa are reducing the environmental impacts of cocoa processing, and increasing farmer resilience to climate change.

Nigerian smallholders farm smart with soil data

by Oluyinka Alawode and Sophie Reeve

Advanced sensory technology is connecting smallholders in Nigeria with information about their soil health, helping to take the guesswork out of farming.

Mobile app automates agricultural contracting in Zimbabwe

by Tonderayi Mukeredzi

A credit rating app is enabling Zimbabwean small-scale farmers to build up credit profiles, helping them to compete in the market for finance.

Wild turmeric turns a trade in Belize

by Natalie Dookie

In Toledo district, farmers are earning three times the going rate for their turmeric by supplying a local processing company to produce the world’s first ‘wildcrafted’ whole root turmeric paste.

Caribbean soilless solutions boost smart production

by Sophie Reeve and Natalie Dookie

To overcome production challenges associated with climate variability in Barbados and St Lucia, young entrepreneurs are using hydro- and aquaponic technology to control the cropping environment.

Bridging the gap between farmers and investors

by Oluyinka Alawode

To increase agricultural investment in Nigeria, an agri-tech start-up company is pooling funds from numerous city-based investors and providing support to farmers via a digital platform.

Responding to market demand with farmer data

by Vincent Defait

A Samoan NGO has mapped small coconut farms to get a better understanding of farmers’ production capacity. It has also developed applications to provide farmers with local trading opportunities.

Online auction floor links farmers with buyers in Zimbabwe

To resolve the ‘disconnect’ between smallholders and markets, and reduce transport costs and produce losses for farmers, an efficient and transparent online auction system has been established in Zimbabwe.

Innovations reshaping smallholders’ market access

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.

Digital platform simplifies access to extension services

In sub-Saharan Africa, a new app is extending technical services to rural smallholder farmers, increasing their access to quality inputs and helping novice farmers to learn ‘on the job’.

Can blockchain plug Africa’s agri-finance gap?

by Helen Castell

A group of partners are developing a blockchain-powered ecosystem across Africa that they say will boost investment into agricultural infrastructure, allow smallholder farmers to borrow more cheaply and stimulate consumer activity in rural economies.

Reigniting Kenya’s international trade

In 2013, stringent standards for exports into the EU caused a hike in rejected produce from Kenya – and a huge blow to its horticulture industry. Now, a digital traceability system is helping to rebuild the sector, providing precise accountability from field to export.