With the growing popularity and use of mobile phones in Africa, experts have developed applications that promise to make agriculture more profitable. These applications aim to help African farmers overcome certain challenges that they have grappled with for years. These problems include animal diseases, exploitation by middlemen and bad weather.
iCow is an innovation that helps farmers effectively manage the breeding period of cows by monitoring the fertility cycle of animals through a voice-based mobile application.
Baring in mind that very few farmers keep records, this application sends voice and short messages reminding the farmer of vital information that will assist him with his cows. For instance, it will inform him when to take the cow for a pregnancy determination test.
Esoko is another application developed in Ghana that enables farmers to monitor commodity prices, as well as track the demand and prices of farm produce and fertilizer.
M-farm was developed in Kenya which allows farmers to track commodity prices and weather patterns. The M-farm application is interactive, thereby enabling farmers to communicate with experts.
To counter losses farmers incur due to unpredictable weather patterns, Kenya’s UAP Insurance Company has partnered with the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture (SFSA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop ‘Kilimo Salama’, an insurance cover where farmers are paid claims through their mobile phones.
Weather stations positioned across the country record low or excess rainfall after which payments of the claims are automatically triggered and made to the farmers through mobile money transfer M-Pesa.
Experts are increasingly looking for ways to support farmers by developing interventions that can be accessed via mobile phones. Experts explain the reason for this is that most African farmers have either a mobile phone or can easily access one.
Image: African Watering Crops by africa on www.freedigitalphotos.net
