The world talks a lot about the digital revolution, but few connect it to the coming agriculture revolution, especially in Africa. Digital solutions have huge potential for helping farmers boost productivity and connect to financial tools and markets around the world.
“ICT has a great youth appeal, and also excellent potential to improve efficiency in different fields of farm work. ICT also helps to improve the impact of rural advisory services and social protection programmes. It also facilitates access to markets, information and business opportunities in remote rural areas”
“The Internet provides the basis for the growth of ICT and an emerging digital economy on which the production, distribution and consumption of broadband networks and services depend. Therefore, it will be a crucial prerequisite for sustainable development.” Chonyui Bouldwin Duna. Cameroon.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT is a global goal and the DIGITAL OR INTERNET ECONOMY is already having massive impact on the societies, it is the most effective and fastest means that is connecting the world and helping solve global problems therefore plays major role in achieving the sustainable development goals eg through transfer of knowledge, good environmental practices, smart climate etc. Roseline Delali Ashigbui – Ghana
The digital economy has revolutionized financial inclusion by providing access to formal financial services of excluded and underserved populations. The unbanked and underbanked rural populations can now transact affordably in tiny amounts whenever they want. Africa and the World at large can only look forward with hope to harnessing the potential of the digital economy through which millions of economically disadvantaged people can be brought into formal banking channels.” Victor Mugo – Kenya
A digital economy is able to drive sustainable development because it gives people (young people especially) the opportunity to access, create, utilize and share information to a wider population and doing that in a quick way. The use of internet in the context of digital economy also gives opportunity for the voice of the voiceless to be heard. It comes with an undeniable freedom of speech where people can air their opinion without fear. I really cannot imagine how communication and passing of information was carried out in the past years. Being able to use emails, blog post, Twitter and other social network accounts while passing the right message gives room for your message to reach a vast majority of people and bring about a positive result. Tolulope Ayeyemi – Nigeria
While these innovations only scratch the surface of the coming digital revolution, it’s clear that digital solutions will transform agriculture with great benefits for smallholders.
You can contact us to get more information about what our great youths in Agriculture are doing in Africa using our twitter handle – @GcuCsayn