Day 2: Desired scenarios for a future where data-driven agriculture is successfully adopted by smallholder farmers
Data-driven agriculture is expected to increase agricultural production and productivity, help them adapt to/ or mitigate the effects of climate change, bring about more economic and efficient use of natural resources, reduce risk and improve resilience in farming, and make agri-food market chains much more efficient. This is in general the positive scenario envisioned for data-driven agriculture.
More precisely, could you describe specific desired scenarios for a future where data-driven agriculture is adopted by smallholder farmers? What would success look like in practical terms?
Scénarios souhaités pour un avenir où l'agriculture axée sur les données est adoptée avec succès par les petits agriculteurs.
L'agriculture axée sur les données devrait augmenter la production et la productivité agricoles, les aider à s'adapter aux effets du changement climatique ou à atténuer leurs contributions aux effets du changement climatique, favoriser une utilisation plus efficace et économique des ressources naturelles, réduire les risques et améliorer la résilience de l’agriculture et rendre plus efficace les chaînes de valeur agroalimentaire beaucoup. C'est en général le scénario positif envisagé pour l'agriculture axée sur les données.
De façon très précise, pourriez-vous décrire des scénarios spécifiques envisagés pour un avenir où l'agriculture axée sur les données est adoptée par les petits agriculteurs? À quoi ressemblerait ce succès en termes pratiques?
Cuáles son los escenarios deseados en el futuro, donde la agricultura basada en los datos sea adoptada de manera exitosa por los pequeños agricultores?
La agricultura basada en datos se espera aumente la producción y productividad agrícolas, ayude a adaptarse y mitigar los efectos del cambio climático, resulte en un uso más eficiente y económico de los recursos naturales, reduzca el riesgo y mejore la resistencia de la agricultura, y genere cadenas agroalimentaria mucho más eficientes. Esto, en general, es el escenario deseado del futuro de la agricultura basada en los datos.
Podría Usted describir los futuros escenarios deseados donde la agricultural basada en los datos es adoptada por pequeños agricultores? Cómo sería un escenario exitoso en términos prácticos?
I think it is very difficult to find a global solution to the data-driven agriculture.Indeed the specificities of each continent, each region, each country and even local specificity will be considered. Strategies should be adapted accordingly.
As for me, with regard to Africa, it seems right that the governments financially support the establishment of any scenario of data sharing in agriculture.
In order to have the smallholder farmers steadily growing by adapting data-driven agriculture, we must look at the market system within which they operate. All the stakeholders who are directly and indirectly working with the smallholders need actionable data/information in order for them to do a good job. This is what will drive inclusion and equity. I will attempt to explain a scenarion that depicts what success will look like in future:
Agricultural inputs - Smallholders will be receiving the right kinds of inputs in fashionale time. The distribution/supply chains will adequately respond to the needs of the smallholder farmers based on consumer data collected over seasons. Therefore the varieties of seed, agrochemicals and other inputs will be based on accurate smallholder preferences. The provision of extension services will be based on what farmers are purchasing and using on their farms. The transperancy and access to information will empower the smallholder farmers to always demand for better service and quality from suppliers. This open demand will then enlist responses based on trust and mutual benefit.
The offtaker or buyer - data will drive this stakeholder to work better with the smallholder farmer. With accurate information on acreage, varieties, seasons and market information, the buyer will feel confident to enage more intentionally with the smallholder farmer. Armed with information, he will be able to value the relationship with the smallholder because he will offer support (such as quality seed, etension, credit)to ensure that he gets the quantity and tha quality he needs at the end of the season. Data will enable the buyer to understand the needs of the farmers better and therefore package his support accordingly. This will strengthen his relationship with the farmers and other stakeholders in the system.
The government - The government will be in the best position ever to create an enabling environment that encouraging the thriving of the smallholder farmer. There will be a mechanism through which government collects accurate famer information, either directly or indirectly, from the village to the national level.The same process will be used to share the information in forms that are user-friendly and useful. The information will be used to provide incentive for better participation in the value chains by the various stakeholders who will themselves. Even when governments want to provide subsidies to farmers, they will plan better and the subsidies will be smart enough as to give farmers what they exactly need at the right time and will not stiffle the develoment of the private sector inputs businesses. The policies and all other legal regimes will work to provide a tranparent framework on how farmer information is aggregated by the private sector and the developnebt agencies and what rights farmers (as the primary source)have in the entire process.
Business Development Service Providers - When they have the right data in future, they will be in better position to coin value propositions that suit the critical needs of smallholder farmers and other stakeholders. Agricultural insurance, for instance, will be availabe at competitive terms when insurers tap into comprehensive and accurate climate/weather data. In turn this will have a knock on effect with the financial institutions which are still looking at smallholder agriculture as a high risk customer segment. They will come up with products that suit the unique circumstances of the farmers and make them available at competitive terms. ICT firms use data to find better ways of reaching the most people at the bottom of the pyramid at the least possible cost. Perhaps government will use this service to regulate better collcetion and acess to information by all stakeholders, especially the farmer by leveraging the ever increasing acess to the mobile phone and radio.
Desired scenarios – would be where smallholder farmers are making decision that are driven by the data. One scenario would be personalized farmers data base from their experience in farming which they will have documented using the current available artifacts such as smartphones or through social networking. My opinion on this is informed by the current changing farming practices (especially in Sub-Saharan Africa) where there is an increasing emergence of medium scale farmers that are now playing a major role in synthesizing information and data in their decision making and thus influencing other so called smallholder farmers to adopt their practices.
The rate adoption of the data-driven agriculture will depend on the value that the farmers perceive in it in achieving their goals.
How would the success look like – Farmers having ‘small-data’ either in their smart phones or any other digital artifacts that they are able to relate and help them in decision making. Then we will have other data either in private or government or other organizations that will work in synergy either for policy or business that farmers with capabilities may utilize.
Dear participants, I am signing off as the coordinator for day 2 after a long and very interesting day. Thank you all for your time and very useful and well thought inputs.
My own take after reflecting for a while on very diverse comments is that, at the end of the day, I´d like to see a scenario where according to specificities and wide varying contexts in which small holder farms operate and live, they are able to make good, well informed and safe decisions regarding what they do and how they do it. Digital data, platforms, providers, I-phones, etc. may play a role as long as they respond to the farmer and are developed primarily for the farmers interest, and not of an external force (a company, a brand, a market, etc.). I also think data and information generated by farmers over centuries, is also invaluable and should be fitted into whatever equation is formulated - with the "data driven" variable in place. This which seems very obvious has, as we´ve seen, tremendpus complexities which hopefully, gradually will be overcome. Concrete examples and scaling up efforts, might be a good way of testing some of the ideas expressed durung session 2.
Once again, thanks to all and very grateful for the opportunity to interact.
Much of Data what we need in future depends more on how and how much water is saved for each crop,including sugarcane.Are we getting any genetically modified food,with out complaints[after testing at least for 3 years].Are we using the water bore systematically for horticulture,is there solar power for pums available.Are the agriculturist is free from,pests,snake bites,and other Non communable deseages including malaria.
Safety,systematic production,insurence,and timely saving of crop produce and sales in markets.Disaster preparedness is the other.