The Netherlands supports digitalization of agribusiness in Africa: A Q&A with Audrey Goosen

ITC: Why is it important that those in the agricultural and food sectors stay abreast of developing technology, including AI?

AMBASSADOR GOOSEN: First, we must understand that resilient agri-food global value chains are critical to global and local food security and economic development. Then we must see the ever more critical role of digital technologies in these sectors.

Technology and AI are powerful tools that can help producers optimize their crop cultivation, crop monitoring and identifying diseases. It can also help create solutions for supply chain challenges, from storage and inventory management to food loss, and enhance food accessibility.

Smart tech developers in the Netherlands, Africa and elsewhere are already coming up with innovative solutions to environmental, social and business challenges that no one has even considered before.

Conversely, a widening digital divide automatically hinders development. This is one of the reasons why we work with ITC to support the introduction of tailor-made technology solutions developed by African tech entrepreneurs in selected African countries.

ITC: What are some specific examples of how agri-tech can improve food security and develop sustainable food sectors?

GOOSEN: Agri-tech can make a huge contribution. Take, for example, the technology directed towards developing vegetable seeds which are less susceptible to weather-related diseases, or more resistant to drought. Or think about the technology used to design equipment and fertilisers which can improve soil structure, rather than destroy it, such as smart farming or farm robotics.

NTF5 AgriTech startups visiting agribusiness stakeholders in the coffee value chain in Yirgachefe Ethiopia

Photo by ITC

These technologies, often driven by start-ups developing innovative solutions for their particular markets and landscapes, can effectively address chronic issues which are reducing production. By championing these start-ups, we are supporting a move away from land and water depletion and poverty cycles to a more sufficient and sustainable future.

Pathway out of poverty

ITC: How can smallholder farmers in Africa access this technology?

GOOSEN: Many farmers already have access to mobile phones and apps that can provide hyper-local weather forecasts based on GPS location, so farmers know when to plant, fertilise or harvest, as well as where to purchase needed inputs.

There are also apps that track market prices so farmers know when to take their goods to market, and apps that can be used by farmers as a mobile marketplace to sell their produce directly online, or even access financial services.

Many of these apps provide information in local languages and some also provide voice messages. We have already seen that access to this kind of information through mobile technology can improve farm production and income, providing a pathway out of poverty.

ITC: Is technology enough to solve the challenges, and if not, what else is needed?

GOOSEN: Of course, technology is not a panacea. There are many other factors at play. For instance, agricultural production as a career should be nurtured. We need to ensure that young people are willing and able to work in the agricultural sector and we need to ensure that education is sufficiently focused on future challenges and learning practical skills. 

Trade also plays a critical role. It is important to encourage small farmers to work together to achieve economies of scale, and to help them meet international certification standards, or export traceability and sustainability requirements.

ITC: We have talked about the importance of donor-assisted innovation, but what role can the public sector play in developing and embedding agri-tech innovation? 

GOOSEN:  First, a stable and predictable regulatory environment is a critical factor for investment in innovation. Second, access to finance and infrastructure is key. Third, public-private partnerships are an important means of steering innovation towards solving development and sustainability challenges. Fourth, in some countries, subsidies or tax incentives for R&D spending may be available, in line with WTO rules.

Procurement policies, if well designed, can also stimulate innovation. Governments can encourage innovation, for example by creating a demand for solar-powered storage. They can also help producers get the best prices for their products through shared logistics facilities.

Governments can also encourage suppliers of technology to train their clients and respond to their needs after the sale. Without this kind of follow-up, you tend to get the familiar plight of machines delivered by international projects that cannot be maintained.

ITC: What are the most urgent policy steps that need to be taken to facilitate the development and wide adoption of context-specific agri-tech solutions?

GOOSEN: For subsistence farmers, the first policy priority should be to secure their land rights, obviously beyond the systemic security of livelihoods. If you are always under threat of having to leave your land, how can you invest? Land titles also improve access to finance.

For commercial farmers, issues like crop certification and traceability, access to finance and markets tend to be more important.

Overall, a policy context which is predictable and stable is pivotal. After all, technology adoption involves investment and the payback period for investments in the agricultural sector is rarely less than seven years.