This issue of ICT Update brings together selected experiences of agricultural practitioners working close to the ‘front line’, bringing innovation and next-generation ideas to agriculture for development projects, and helping them reach, benefit and empower smallholder producers, leading to sustainable change. The individual stories were produced through four CTA-led ‘experience capitalisation’ processes designed to identify and document actionable knowledge on practices that work for ACP agriculture. At the heart of each process was a workshop with CTA staff, partners and collaborators, focusing on insights and lessons around each of CTA’s four strategic intervention areas.
In this issue
Leveraging innovation and actionable knowledge for next-generation ACP agriculture
Digital as well as other technical and institutional innovations underpin the success of agriculture in developing-country countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). Such innovations are encouraging a new generation of young ‘agripreneurs’ to tackle agri-food challenges, explore ways to build resilience to climate change, and improve the incomes and livelihoods of people in agriculture.
Digitalisation to transform farmers’ productivity and profits
Partnerships and multi-sectoral investment are key in scaling out successful technologies for smallholder farmers and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, says CTA director, Michael Hailu.
Market information to mobiles promotes transparency within Senegal’s value chains
by Pierre Ricau , Hermann Tossou , Osseni Senou and Marc Ghislain Bappa Se
Digital agribusiness, N’kalô, is empowering Senegal’s smallholders through the provision of reliable and objective market information to their phones. Using this data, farmers are able to negotiate to achieve the best prices for their produce
Agribusiness diversification into digitalisation: a marketing risk or a strategy for survival?
by Hamza Rkha Chaham , Brian Bosire and Pierre Ricau
Three young entrepreneurs working in the digitalisation for agriculture sector have learned the hard way that delivering technology-driven solutions for smallholder farmers in Africa can present special challenges. Here, they share some of their insights, including a survival strategy that they claim is critical to success – diversify or die.
Agricultural marketing platforms must demonstrate value to end users
by Samwel Rutto
For online agricultural trading platforms to be scaled and sustained, they need to overcome an array of challenges relating to system design, revenue traction and uptake. Here, Samwel Rutto, regional manager for Structured Trading Systems at the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC), highlights the common pitfalls and key considerations for agribusiness when trying to grow their online client base.
“You have to be trained to start a business, then have regular guidance”
So you have what you are convinced is a winning idea for an agribusiness. What happens next? Obtaining advice and guidance from someone who has trodden the same path may pay dividends, especially for young entrepreneurs with little business acumen.
Organic farming: offering women entrepreneurs access to high-value niche markets
by Busani Bafana and Nawsheen Hosenally
Organic agriculture in ACP regions is improving the livelihoods of women farmers, who are selling high value products to global niche markets. Two examples, from Jamaica and Samoa, illustrate the scope for organic agriculture to empower women agripreneurs to change local practices to benefit livelihoods and the environment.
Bundled green services drive farmer adoption of climate-smart agriculture
by Jemima Afari-Kwarteng and Oluwaseun Adedeji
Experience with climate-smart agriculture (CSA) initiatives increasingly shows that delivering green services in isolation is an ineffective approach that produces disappointing outcomes. The provision of ‘bundled’ of products which are suited to farmers requirements is far more likely to promote CSA uptake, increasing sustainability and resilience to climate change as a result. Examples from different CTA projects show this approach in action.
Climate-smart impact investing doing good and doing business
by Busani Bafana and Nawsheen Hosenally
Private sector climate-smart investments are bridging the gap for agricultural development funding in a bid to help realise the Sustainable Development Goals through impact investing, a novel way of creating and sharing wealth.
Digital, as well as other technical and institutional innovations, underpin the success of agriculture in developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). Such innovations are encouraging a new generation of young agripreneurs to tackle agri-food challenges, explore ways to build resilience to climate change and improve the incomes and livelihoods of people in agriculture.
