Marketing & Media trends
Industry trends
Sponsors
Agriculture trends
Automotive trends
Construction & Engineering trends
CSI & Sustainability trends
Education trends
Energy & Mining trends
Entrepreneurship trends
Finance trends
Healthcare trends
HR & Management trends
ICT trends
Legal trends
- Key legal trends in Africa - Part 3Darryl Bernstein, Johan Botes, Kieran Whyte and Lerisha Naidu
- Key trade and investment trends in Africa - Part 2Ashlin Perumall and Janet MacKenzie
- Key trade and investment trends in Africa - Part 1Lodewyk Meyer, Marc Yudaken, Mike van Rensburg and Virusha Subban
Lifestyle trends
Logistics & Transport trends
Marketing & Media trends
- Brands doing good is good for businessSinenhlanhla Njapha
- The year of the African storytellerGarreth van Vuuren
Property trends
Retail trends
Tourism & Travel trends
Most Read
Advertise your job ad on Bizcommunity
#BizTrends2018: Investing in efficiency of Africa's small-scale farmers a game changer
"Crop yields in Africa are low compared to those in other regions: only 5% of the cultivated land in Africa makes use of irrigation, for example, compared to 38% in Asia... Technology enables African smallholder farmers to access better information, improve crop yields, secure better prices for their produce, and improve their livelihoods."
![]() Ashley Boag, Chief Business Officer, SAP Africa |

• Overall efficiency improvement
• Improvements in small-scale farmer contribution and efficiency in Africa
• Making the small farmer part of the community by increasing his share of the final crop value
• Improved seed (resistant, etc.) and fertiliser (many focused on biotech which is still controversial and has hurdles to get over in various countries)
• Smart farming
• Given overall water scarcity, there is a focus on water-efficient farms
• A worldwide shift to being more eco-conscious (less meat, alternatives, etc.) This trend is less pronounced in Africa and developing markets. This also impacts things such as traceability improvements, etc.

In Africa, the empowerment and support of efficiency in small-scale farming - including linking them to the formal economy and access to improved seed and fertiliser.

Huge. This is one of the key growth drivers expected to support efficiency gains and increased output internationally, from biotech to automation

• The lack of maturity in using tech in Africa and lack of funds. As a large amount of agriculture in Africa is small-scale farming to feed the local community, they typically do not have the critical mass for these investments nor the knowledge on what is available and how to access it.
• Technology platforms that work in the rural areas.

• Efficiency gains through anything from improved communication, linking to the formal economy, improved methods, automation and vertical agriculture.
• Improved sourcing to reduce input costs
• Information sharing to improve crops and processes (product and process knowledge)

Investment in improved efficiency and for the acceleration in technology and agriculture specialisation to continue. Today’s farmers have become more specialised due to technological advances in agricultural production. Data analysis in the years ahead will supplement what farmers know intuitively - and in some cases challenge those assumptions.
*Ashley Boag was interviewed by Cari Coetzee.
Read more: small-scale farmers, SAP Africa, agriculture trends, agriculture technology, Ashley Boag, smart farming, Cari Coetzee