84,000 Senegalese producers received the very first agricultural advice from the SAIDA-Sn digital platform on their phones
Information and advice on good agricultural and animal husbandry practices in real time and in local languages
“Nawet baa ngiy waaja ňew, xalaat leen jēnd seen jiwu bu mucc ayib, walla suuna si joge ci seen mbayteefu daaw” (in Wolof).
"The rains are coming soon, think about buying your seeds, preferably certified seeds or your best seeds from the past harvest" (in English).
This is the very first message received on their mobile phones by the 84,000 Senegalese producers registered on the SAIDA platform. A great first in Senegal.
All these producers received this advice on buying good quality seeds and inputs, by text and audio for those who have installed the application on their smartphones, or by simple SMS for others. All received it in the language of their choice between Diola, Mandingo, Pulaar, Serer, Soninke and Wolof, thanks to the "Weather and Crop Calendar" application.
In all, two tips on good agricultural practices and six related to the fight against COVID-19 were sent to producers on March 30, 2021.
"This information, in real time, on short, medium and long-term weather forecasts, preparation for the production campaign, good production practices and access to prices in surrounding markets, makes it possible to support the producer, from the beginning to the end of the campaign, to reduce production costs, increase yields and income, while improving the health and nutrition of his family. With this innovation, FAO would like to contribute in a sustainable way to making farmers more professional, prepared and resilient”, explains the Coordinator of the FAO Sub-regional Office for West Africa and FAO Representative in Senegal, Gouantoueu Robert Guei.
The "Agri Apps (SAIDA)" application can be downloaded from the "Play store" for Android phones or from https://digital.apps.fao.org/.
Making producers resilient: advice on breeding, nutrition and the market
In addition to the "Weather and Crop Calendar" application, the platform has four other applications: Feed and Cure your Livestock, AgriMarketPlace, E-Nutrifood, COVID-19.
Through these applications, producers also receive direct information on livestock care, market prices, health and nutrition.
SAIDA is thus participating in the digitization of agricultural value chains for agriculture and livestock farming that are resilient to climate change. This platform, set up as part of the Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa (SAIDA) project, is also available in French and English.
In Senegal, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) operates the platform to strengthen communication between local agricultural services and farmers. FAO signed an agreement with the National Agricultural and Rural Advisory Agency of Senegal (ANCAR), in December 2019, for the deployment of applications in the country, in collaboration with several specialized national agencies that provide information and services.
"The digitization of rural agricultural advisory services, through the SAIDA platform, strengthens the offer of rural agricultural advice and contributes to the modernization and intensification of agriculture in Senegal. Thanks to the platform, the process of disseminating proven innovations will be improved with modern technological tools", said ANCAR Director General Mariama Dramé.
Improve productivity and time to market
To date, the 84,000 small farmers registered on the platform come from more than 3,000 villages covered by more than 1,000 ANCAR extension agents in the country's seven main agricultural production areas.
With the negative impacts of COVID19 on local supply systems, FAO assisted ANCAR in the creation of a second digital marketing platform www.senlouma.org as part of the implementation of its response plan to the pandemic in Senegal.
“We added the marketing platform to help local small farmers sell their produce. We are planning online training programs for trainers and producers to familiarize them with the use of this digital tool in order to improve their income”, informs the information technology expert at the sub-regional office of the FAO for West Africa, Amadou Thiendella Fall.
FAO in Senegal is also working in partnership with the United Nations Equipment Fund (UNCDF) to develop a module on financial inclusion and microcredit in 2021.
A program to intensify the deployment of these digital tools with producer associations in the Casamance region, in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB), is planned for the period 2021-2023.
SAIDA is also in the deployment phase in West Africa and The Sahel.
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