The seeds of the agricultural revolution that Africa has longed for have arrived, spawned by research and tech developments incubated in America, Europe and Australia.
Agriculture 3.0 in industrialised economies is a revolution fuelled by big data and streamed from an explosion of new digital, satellite and laser technology. It is parsed for farmers to guide the precise delivery of seed, fertilisers and water on automated farm equipment. These developments promise to help farmers grow more, earn more and reduce their carbon footprints.
These developments also have the funds and the support to take off. In 2014, venture capitalists invested $2.36bn in agricultural technology companies and startups. Now, it is time to bring that knowledge and innovation – with the necessary modifications – to African agriculture.