In Cκτήte d’Ivoire, new digital solutions have enabled small-scale farmers to pick up their smartphones to find valuable technical information and to contact experts directly for help.
This real-time tip is a competitive advantage when it comes to increasing yields. And farmers in the West African country can use all the support they can get. The rise in temperature has completely disrupted the rhythm of the growing seasons. In some areas, the drought is so bad that farmers have to irrigate their fields twice a day otherwise they risk losing their crops.
Researchers from the Ecole Superieure d’Agronomie are working on the Cultiv4G application to help farmers deal with uncertainties. New online shopping also brings producers and consumers together, with guaranteed delivery and payment terms.
The biggest problem that remains is the provision of electricity and digital coverage even in the most remote areas to ensure equal access for all. When more people connect digitally, it will mean less production waste and less on-street supply problems.
A film by Clelia Benard
Aim of the project: Develop digital applications that allow farmers to increase their crop yields and become more resilient to climate change at the same time.
Budget: Agricultural advisory application developers aim to make such solutions for free. They also want to allow farmers to use certain data offline to avoid data costs. Participation in the virtual market costs 25,000 CFA francs, ie about 38 €.
Partner organizations: The developers of various digital applications are assisted by researchers, in particular at the Ecole Superieure d’Agronomie of the Felix Houphouet-Boigny National Technical Institute.
Duration: The first applications appeared 15 years ago, but the appetite for further solutions suggests a good future for technology.
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