Data-Driven Agriculture: Key to Youth Involvement in Agric

Youth Involvement in Agric

New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are driving change in agriculture by providing farm related data and information to help producers and farmers increase yields and improve income, but the absence of infrastructure and low level of literacy is hampering the deployment of such technologies across the agric value chain.

ICTs, such as mobile phones, satellite data, among others – are transforming agriculture. With gadgets, such as mobile phone, computers and others, farmers receive data on crop prices and market information. They also enjoy stable year-round prices, while eliminating middlemen and lowering transaction costs.

The Chief Executive Officer, Hastom Global Services Limited, Mr Debo Thomas, is one farmer who is benefiting from accessing data online.

He is into cashew and plantain farming in Ogbomosho, Oyo State. Thomas accesses data on commodity prices, and other agricultural services through his smart phone and tablet. For him, Information and Communication matter in agriculture for those growing crops, raising livestock, or fish farming. This is because farmers seek information from one another and from other stakeholders across the value chain.

Apart from personal contacts, Thomas has used his phone to seek information on the most effective planting strategy, where he can get improved seedlings and feeds, and how he can acquire farmland. With data gleaned from his phone or laptop, he is on top of the situation as up dated agric information helps him to cope with market changes.

He believes that provision of agricultural services through ICTs could be a game changer that will attract young people to farming. He explained that having better market information would help young farmers to decide what to plant and where best to sell it. While the government may not be able to attract everybody to farming, he noted that youths who decide to go into farming can serve as good ambassadors for farming, aided by the increased use of ICT that creates a more favorable image of farming activities.

Thomas, however, lamented that farmers in the rural areas are cut off because of no internet connection. For him, lack of connectivity means that they may be unable to market their products sufficiently or access market data or agricultural research provided through online and telecommunications platforms.

He is of the opinion that farming policies should be part of a wider agenda for rural development by creating an enabling social environment with services to make rural areas good places to live in. Thomas said agricultural technologies and innovations are important for rural development and food/nutrition security.

Besides, the sector needs better policies to attract young people to stay in the rural areas, in addition to providing better infrastructure and internet. The CEO sees data driven agriculture as vital for youth employment and food security, noting that once farmers have the information they need to improve their productivity, access to financial transactions, they will be able to make much money from farming ventures.

He also noted that lack of adequate data in agriculture would hinder foreign direct investment and the government’s   efforts to reform the sector. To them, quality data yield not only has sectoral benefits, but also real economic returns.

Thomas therefore urged the government to promote suitable agricultural technologies that can be used by farmers and agro-entrepreneurs to boost food production and development.  From mobile technologies that easily connect markets to agricultural products, to identifying agricultural value chains, the stakeholder believes that the agriculture sector must of a necessity identify ways   of scaling up existing technologies to connect farmers to opportunities and investors.