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Technology is helping middle-class Nigerians turn to farming without getting their hands dirty
More than 80% of farmers in Nigeria are small holder farmers who cultivate a few acres of land to feed their family and also sell produce to earn a living. Yet, while the government has failed—getting middle-class Nigerians to take up farming—thanks to technology, a crop of new agro-tech startups are finding success.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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The Power of SMS: How Simple Texts Can Provide a Lifeline for Farmers
Last month, nearly 3,000 coconut farmers in Mindanao received a text from FarmerLink warning that conditions were ripe for infestation by two devastating insect pests, allowing them to take preventive action. That's just one way SMS messages are being used by FarmerLink, a rural advisory service formed by Grameen Foundation and other partners. The foundation's Gigi Gatti explains how the project, which also connects farmers with buyers and other services, is impacting smallholders 18 months after its launch.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
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Can Next-Generation Startups Unite Agritech and Fintech for Farmers in Emerging Markets?
An amalgamation of agritech and fintech solutions could have an incredible impact for the masses, especially populations that work within the agriculture chain. But making these apps and other digital solutions more user-friendly is critical to expanding their usage. Developers may need to borrow the best toolsets from both sectors, writes Sneha Sampath with Unitus Seed Fund.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance, Technology
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How tech-enabled agriculture ventures are offering farm related services via mobile phones
“Farmers are forced to sell immediately after harvesting,” says Kishor Kumar Jha, founder-director, Ergos. “Withproper warehousing, farmers can store their produce and sell when prices move up.”
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- agtech
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Can Satellites Solve the Farmer Suicide Crisis in India?
Researchers from the University of California, Berkley, have found a strong correlation between rising temperatures and the rate of suicides, with an increase of 1 Celsius associated with an average of about 70 additional suicides per day. Droughts have ravaged the country’s crop yields, sharply reducing farmers’ income across the sector and disrupting the predictability of revenue.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- agtech, climate change
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To Feed the World, Improve Photosynthesis
By reworking the basic metabolism of crops, plant scientists hope to forestall devastating food shortages.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Technology
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Farmers are the secret ingredient for Ghana’s most innovative startups
In the space of just a few years, Williams would go from studying space to selling beauty products sourced from the moringa, opening a new commercial opportunity for local farmers through the process. His company, MoringaConnect, is part of a wave of savvy young entrepreneurs who are turning to the country’s troubled agricultural sector, and the millions of farmers toiling in it, as source of inspiration for their ideas.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- agtech
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From IIT to UC Berkeley, and Back – All to Make Agriculture More Efficient & Profitable
A job in the social sector is seen as the domain of social workers who sacrifice everything for the greater good. But increasingly, working in the social sector requires a balance between having a “business” mind and a “social” heart. Most social entrepreneurs lead financially secure lives, with the added satisfaction of doing something good and transforming lives. Yet, not many have the courage to take this less taken path.
- Categories
- Agriculture
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- agtech