Africa’s food challenge is two-pronged. A population growing at astronomical speeds on one hand and a continent threatened by climate change on the other hand. In 2015 alone the population of Africa grew by 30 million. It is estimated that by 2050, annual increases will exceed 42 million people per year and total population will have doubled to 2.4 billion.
Africa’s population growth coupled with Climate change will have a huge effect on food security on the continent. These challenges will come in three major areas; Food Demand, Yield Potential, Land availability and quality.
The Agricultural sector will have enormous challenges to feed its 2.4billion people, to survive, Africa must increase its food production by 70% by 2050.
However, Africa not only holds potential to feed itself and eliminate food insecurity but also to be a major player in the global food market. To address these issues and increase the quality and quantity of agricultural production, Africa will need to engage innovative technology to make farms more intelligent and connected through precision agriculture; using apps, bots, wireless monitoring and control system that provide valuable, actionable, real-time information regarding the condition of the soil and crops thereby affecting yield quality and quantity.
Ndubuisi Ekekwe will deliver a plenary titled The Future Of Food: Smart Farms & Data Driven Agriculture next week (Nov 16, 2016) at The Nerve Africa.
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