THE GROWING use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is significantly impacting on the agriculture sector across the African continent and could majorly contribute to transforming the continent’s economy, a report on education, training and development in Africa has shown.

The e-Learning Africa Report 2014, which interviewed people working in agriculture and food industries across Africa, found a higher level of optimism about the future of the agriculture sector compared to other sectors.

The report, published mid-last month, also established that ICTs in agriculture was mostly used to acquire  knowledge about better farming practices and markets.

Survey respondents said ICTs could most benefit farmers through greater efficiency (49 per cent ), better sales (27 per cent), bigger yields (12 per cent) and better land management (10 per cent), according to the report.

The report was published by ICWE, a German international event, media, communication and research organisation.

"ICTs are bringing new solutions to farming problems, promoting more efficient irrigation, better livestock management and even encouraging the development of self-sustaining funding solutions,” the report reads in part.

"Across Africa, a multitude of new, ICT-based initiatives are helping to transform farming outputs and incomes. Our survey shows that farmers recognise that ICTs can help improve both yields and sales,” it adds.

"African agriculture is changing. It is steadily becoming more efficient. Much of the change is happening at the level of the smallholder farmer and it is being driven by the increased use of ICTs, which are helping to boost yields, increase choice and improve living standards,” The report’s editor, Dr Harold Elletson, is quoted as saying in a press statement emailed to The New Times.

The report, however, cites lack of electricity and poor Internet connectivity in many areas, among others, as some of the key challenges affecting the use of ICTs in the agriculture sector.  

The report comes shortly after a World Bank report commended the impact of ICTs in transforming the agriculture sector in Africa.

The ICTs for agriculture in Africa report, released last May, concluded that "the strategic application of ICTs to the agricultural industry, the largest economic sector in most African countries, offers the best opportunity for economic growth and poverty alleviation on the continent.”

Spurring growth

Rwanda is hailed for investing in ICTs to spur development.

The 2013 Rwanda ICT sector profile report released early last month highlighted some key achievements in the use of ICTs in the agriculture sector.

The report says the agriculture sector in the country has significantly grown due to ICT usage, with a total of 11,815 farmers and businesses using e-Soko, an online platform that provides access to market information for farm produce.

Fertiliser voucher management, which enables farmers track and improve usage of farming inputs, had more than 1.6 million farmers.

Tony Nsanganira, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, while speaking at the launch of the report said that there had been improved agriculture practices thanks to ICT, and farmers could now access information on markets and better skills.

Farmers who spoke to The New Times said there is a significant improvement in their activities ever since they adopted the use of modern technologies.

Josephine Mukanyiribambe, a member of Icyerekezo-Simbi, a farmers’ cooperative involved mainly in the growing of maize, said on Thursday that ICTs have transformed the way they conduct their activities.

Mukanyiribambe, who said that her cooperative adopted the use of maize shelers about four years ago, observed that the machines have eased the task, improved maize quality and allowed them much time to involve in other activities.

"The machines have given us more time to engage in other activities to transform our lives,” she said.

In addition, access to market and information about best practices had also been made easy by available modern technologies, particularly mobile telephones, the farmer added.