Ben Guerir – The fourth day of UM6P’s Science Week gathered specialists to debate the way forward for digital agriculture in Africa, shedding gentle on the immense potential and important challenges of the continent’s agriculture transformation journey.
Ken Lohento, Digital Agriculture specialist at Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) regional workplace for Africa, pointed to hanging statistics. He revealed that solely 5% of small-scale farmers in sub-Saharan Africa frequently use digital know-how, whereas a overwhelming majority is left unable to learn from agricultural improvements.
This digital divide is additional complicated by infrastructure challenges, with roughly 50% of communities missing dependable entry to electrical energy.
Speaking in the present day throughout a session on Agritech and Digital Divide, Lehonto spoke of stark contrasts between nations throughout the continent. “Africa is not one country,” he stated.
While international locations like Kenya, Ethiopia, Morocco, and Tunisia have proven important progress in digital agriculture adoption, others resembling Togo, Niger, Chad, and Guinea face appreciable obstacles.
Mustapha El Bouhssini, Entomology Professor and Associate Dean for Research at UM6P’s College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, spoke to Morocco World News (MWN) of how digital agriculture and agroecology can form farming’s future in Morocco and Africa.
“With digital agriculture, it’s precision agriculture,” he defined, describing how fashionable know-how allows farmers to optimize useful resource use via exact soil evaluation and focused software of inputs.
The integration of synthetic intelligence and cellular functions is revolutionizing farm administration, he argued.
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Digital improvements now allow farmers to {photograph} crop signs utilizing their telephones to obtain rapid steerage on nutrient deficiencies or recommendation on pest management measures.
However, whereas bigger farms are already benefiting from superior applied sciences like drones and sensors, price stays a major barrier for smaller farmers.
Morocco’s agritech promising initiative
Morocco’s agricultural sector options promising developments on this digital transformation.
El Bouhssini stated that the nation goals to “implement conservation agriculture across one million hectares in the coming years,” an important step as Morocco has undergone an ongoing seven-year drought.
With 100 engineers working all through Morocco, UM6P’s Al Moutmir extension service reflects Morocco’s dedication to know-how switch, although digital options are wanted to succeed in a broader farming inhabitants
In phrases of ecoagriculture, El Bouhssini noted that their analysis at UM6P is targeted on “pest management approaches.”
“These are environmentally friendly means of controlling diseases and pests rather than relying on pesticides only,” he added.
As African nations work to realize meals safety, specialists agree that success would require a balanced strategy combining digital innovation with sustainable practices.
This contains the precision software of important vitamins like phosphorus, the place Morocco’s huge phosphate reserves may play an important function in supporting continental meals safety, whereas guaranteeing environmental safety via good useful resource administration.
Both worldwide and UM6P’s agriculture specialists asserted in the present day the necessity for AI in boosting Africa’s agriculture transition.
Meanwhile, of UM6P’s function in Africa’s agriculture transformation journey, El Bouhssini stated: “We hope through our research that we really contribute to the food security in Africa by adding really the needed amount of phosphorus and other fertilizers and other input.”
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