In Africa, Digital Tools for Smart Agriculture Are Gaining Ground

maryam lahbal
maryam lahbal
2 Min Read
smart agriculture

For six months, Denis Okello, a young farmer in northern Uganda, has been waiting for the rain to come. This long period of drought caused him to lose more than 1,000 euros of wheat and corn harvest. A loss that he hopes to see mitigated thanks to digital: “Currently, to predict the fall of the rain, we base ourselves on the seasons: the dry season and the rainy season. We make our forecasts. But when the drought comes, we are caught off guard and all our crops are decimated. With digital tools, we would be able to better anticipate the climate. »

with the lack of rain, saving water has become fundamental. One of the ways is to promote irrigation. A concept that Serge Zaongo, a young engineer from Burkina Faso, made his thanks to an intelligent irrigation system: “We have probes at soil level. And these probes constantly inform us about the level of humidity. So that means that the irrigation is only triggered when the plant needs to be watered. This avoids wasting water. This allows you to make predictions on the quantity he will need for next season. »

A solution that echoes the needs of Denis Okello, the young Ugandan farmer: “This irrigation system would help me measure the amount of water needed for my crops because when I grow them, I would like to be able to calculate and therefore know the deadline for their performance. »

A solution that could find its full meaning, because according to the World Health Organization, more than half of the population in northern Uganda is affected by food insecurity.

Maryam Lahabl

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