Agriculture and Smart Farming

1. Do you know that data-driven agriculture can boost farmers’ productivity? The data has various uses in farming, namely planning, monitoring and assessment, event intervention and management, optimization, forecasting, market access and negotiations, and tracing and tracking. In particular, the use of data in agriculture is the future of farming. Reading this article is an eye-opener of how data can be used to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of agricultural activities.   6. Agricultural innovation is a step toward meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Family farming should be emphasized since it helps the majority of people as compared to large plantations. Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, the African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, depicts that there are about 500 million farms owned by families. More information is discussed in the report that shows the predominance of family farming and agricultural innovation.   7. Do you know that many African farmers do not have access to the market and finances required to maximize their farming profitability and outputs? Here is an article that gives a good solution for them, which is using digital technologies. Specifically, digitizing agriculture leads to proper decision-making, such as knowing when to plant or harvest, and can lead to a sustainable increase of the farming produce. With digitization, food security in Africa is possible.   8. Are you aware that a maize ear analyzer can speed up crop monitoring and help in breeding programs? For sure, digital imaging is the way to go if farmers are to deliver stress-tolerant crops within a short period. By using breeding technologies, it has been possible to expand access to crops that are drought tolerant to 13 African countries and 3.5 million farmers. Moreover, disease tracking is...