As the global population continues to grow and the food demand increases, the agriculture industry is under pressure to become more efficient and sustainable.

At the International Conference on Business Models in Agriculture (IBMA) 2023 convening at Kigali Convention Center from March 27 to 28, different experts are calling for increased adoption of modern business models in agriculture in tackling the issue.

Jointly organised by the Africa Organization of Technology in Agriculture (AOTA) and the University of Rwanda, IBMA 2023 aims to bring together synergies to build sustainable agriculture to transform subsistence farming into well-organised businesses to increase the income and well-being of farmers in Africa.

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According to Olivier Kamana, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), technology can play a vital role in tackling numerous issues within the agriculture sector, such as disease prevention.

He also suggested that farmers should embrace modern approaches to farming, like progressive terracing which is especially important for Rwanda, given that the majority of the country is composed of mountainous terrain, making traditional farming methods particularly challenging.

Kamana also recommended that farmers use compatible seeds that are suitable for the changing climate and can yield greater produce.

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He further highlighted the responsibility of academics and researchers at universities to not only educate but also nurture students’ innovative ideas that can be implemented in the fields of agriculture and animal resources.

He expressed his delight that Rwanda had been chosen to host the international conference, which was organised by the University of Rwanda’s College of Agriculture, Animal sciences and Veterinary Medicine (CAVM).

Kamana commended the various innovative projects they had undertaken, which have the potential to create employment opportunities, while also allowing farmers to benefit from the implementation of modern technologies and add value to agricultural products.

In 175 non-developed countries around the world, over 40 per cent of the population barely survives on less than $2 per day and depends on agriculture for its livelihood, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Report.

Didas Muganga Kayihura, Vice Chancellor of UR, emphasised that their role as university researchers should be to align their research and studies with solutions that respond to the problems society is facing, such as why some soil is not fertile despite progress in cultivating different valleys.

He called on the government to allocate more funding to research so that solutions to these problems can be found.

To tackle the issue of why many farmers still don’t make a profit, Kayihura suggested that farmers should make use of their land more effectively, even if it is small, by using good fertiliser and seeds and connecting to good markets for their produce.

This, he believes, will encourage more people to join the sector and thrive.

"It is our shared belief that the smallholder farmers should be prioritised in our economic outlook,” he added, "not only because they constitute the majority of our population, but also because they are the primary pillar of our economy.”

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In his remarks, Isaac Kagara, Founder of IBM, said despite great potential, Africa’s food industry faces a severe economic challenge and is said to be on top of the development priorities.

Currently, food imports are rated at 20 per cent costing over USD 30 to 50 billion annually, which could rise to USD 150 billion by 2030, according to International Food Policy Research Institute.

Kagara urged the participants to think about how Africa can reverse this by exporting food worth USD 150 billion by 2030 and importing less.