Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have advocated for the use of technology and innovation in the sector for development and to boost farmers productivity. This was stated at the Agric workshop organized by the Nigerian British chamber of commerce (NBCC) with the theme “Leveraging Technology $ Digital Transformation In Agriculture”.
According to the chairman of Agric and Export Trade group of NBCC, Dr. Olusola Obabori, he disclosed that businesses that do not leverage on the use of technology, have been operating in the past. In his words, “Any business without leveraging technology is operating in the past. This is why we are here today to examine the use of technology in boosting production in Agriculture”.
With the implementation of technology in agriculture, it will scale up production and give best practices in the world, which will translate into more profit. The permanent secretary, federal ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Ernest Umakhihe, stated that the Nigerian agricultural sector has the potential to drive economic growth and create wealth due to the country’s viable agro-ecological zones, strong value chains and youthful population, which can be used to explore and undertake a diversified agribusiness.
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There is no disputing the fact that the world is rapidly evolving with a lot of technological advancements that are being invented to make life easy. It has no doubt transformed so many sectors across the globe and is also shaping the world. There have been few technological advancements implemented in the agricultural sector in the country, although the sector is still lagging behind in terms of technological adoption.
With ICT application, it will strengthen the sector due to the fact that farmers will be able to access current information, such as the release of new crops, new prices of agricultural equipment, the emergence of disease and pest control, weather forecast, among others.
With scarcity of food ravaging some parts of Africa, the introduction of technology into the sector will aid in large production of food that will be able to sustain the people in the region. While demand for food is growing, the supply side faces the challenges of changing environment and climatic conditions and shortage of food inputs.
To mitigate these challenges, farmers must embrace digital technology to improve productivity to meet domestic and external demand. Hence, the need to adopt the use of technology to boost productivity.
With technologies such as internet access, Artificial Intelligence, robotics, remote sensor technology, and many more, it will provide the agricultural sector with the necessary tools needed to make more informed decisions and also boost productivity output.
Leveraging technology and other practices in the agricultural sector will create a pathway for Nigeria as well as other African countries to increase productivity and competitiveness of the agricultural sector which will curb food insecurity and poverty in the region.
It has been estimated that by 2050, feeding about 200 million people will be very challenging. It will only be made possible if technology is leveraged, because with the use of technology, it will aid in the mass production of food commodities.
Technology has no doubt ensured a higher level of growth in almost every industry of the world, therefore there is a need for the agricultural sector in Nigeria to open up to these latest technological advancements, to ensure there is massive production output.