climate smart agric to escalate west africa’s food system

1 www.westafricanagri.com West African Agribusiness | July-September 2021

VOLUME 3: ISSUE 3 $5.00 JULY - SEPTEMBER 2021

ECOWAS applauds Nigeria’s organic agriculture 8

John Deere introduce the beast 15

EU agriculture policies to benefit African farmers 16-17

Climate smart agric to escalate West Africa’s food system resilience

2 West African Agribusiness | July-September 2021 www.westafricanagri.com

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Contents Editorial Comment

Challenges identified should be solved :.........4

News Briefs :.........5

Cover Story

Climate smart agric to escalate West Africa’s food system resilience :.........6

Regional News

Agriculture is Africa’s low hanging fruit - AfCFTA :.........7ECOWAS applauds Nigeria’s organic agriculture :.........8Ghana agriculture minister’s ingenuity applauded :.........10Nigerian smallholder farmers get tobacco industry support :.........11Togo farmers embrace drones to increase production :.........12UN to support 10,000 farmers in Nigeria :.........13

International News

AFAP, Fertilizer Canada to boost rural farmers’ potential :.........14

Business, Companies & Markets

John Deere introduce the beast :.........15 Insight

EU agriculture policies to benefit African farmers :.........16-17

Technology News

Data as information in Africa and the US :.........18Where solar power meets agricultural markets :.........19Where solar power meets agricultural markets

PublisherMTI Media

EditorBheki Fayayo

[email protected]

Editorial Contributors:Chilopa Kasoma

Ulla SetswaloEvans MumbaArnold Kasoko

ADVERTISING [email protected]

Chiku MutitiMartin Tetteh

Patrick ChindoJohn Reba

ADDRESS

19 Dr. Isert Road, North Ridge, AccraP.O. Box TF338, Accra, Ghana

Tel: +233 24 222 3788Email: [email protected]

Website: www.westafricanagri.com


EditorialEditorial

Challenges identified should be solved ewanddiversifiedmeansto scaleupproductivityandyields for the farming community arealways awelcomedevelopment consid-eringtheloomingfoodinsecurityaroundtheglobe.

ForWorldBankandFAOtoidentifyareasthatneedimprovementonthebloc’spro-ductionvaluechainshouldbecelebratedandembracedbyallstakeholders.

Identifying gaps and loopholes is oftenfollowedby lackorpoor implementationofsolutiontobridgeorstopachallenge.

Wehopestakeholderswill respondpos-itivelytoFAOandWorldBankoncedia-logueonhowtoclosetheidentifiedgapsresume.

Few organisation have already sharedthesamesentimentsandwehopemanymorewerallybehindandpropupeffortstoincreaseharvestforWestAfrica.

N Financialchallengeandlackofinfrastruc-turecouldalsobestumblingblocks.Letgovernmentsandprivatesectorprioritiesagriculture schemes and projects whilecommunitiesembraceagriculture,aunit-edforcewillwin.

Food security is currently on the lips ofeverygovernmentandtacklingthechal-lengeasblocoffersmorepositives.Re-memberourterrainsarenotthesameandwe can utilize that to complement eachother.

Thosewith lands goodenoughforcas-savashouldcapitaliston thatwhileoth-ersconsiderbananasproductionorothercereals.

Theregionshouldandcanbuild itsowneverflowingfoodbasketandpromotein-tertradeamongpeerswithinthebloc.

With intensified agriculture, more tradeshould occur on the bloc, employment

opportunities will increase too, easingpovertyandhungerontheotherfront.

So many positives should and are keydrivers to support the World Bank andFAOineffortstopropupfarmingonthebloc.

Farmingisthefutureandmoreshouldbeharvestedfromthesector.

Remember to share with us your com-ments, letters and inquiries.

Enjoy the read!


News BriefsNews Briefs

Togo remains EU’s top organic soybean supplier

Togo has remained the largest ex-porter of organic soybeans to Eu-rope.According toa report recentlyreleasedbytheEUCommission,thecountry sent 51,000 of the crop totheSchengenArea.

Thisis20percentmorethanthevol-umeitexportedtothesameregionin2019,knowingly42,300t.

In the 2020 ranking, Togo cameahead of Ukraine (28,000 t), India(15,000 t), and Kazakhstan (11,000t).OtherAfricancountriesthatdistin-guishedthemselves includeUganda(8,000t),Benin(6,000t),andBurkinaFaso(5,000t).

The report’s authors indicated thatTogoexported54,017tonstotheEUin2020(against44,684ttheyearbe-fore).Itranked13thworldwideinthisaspect,andsecondinAfrica,stand-ing behind Tunisia and right beforeEgypt-thesameasin2019.

Hydroponics farming spreads foot-print in Ghana

Ridol Hydroponics is spearheadingthespreadingofhydroponicfarminginGhana.

Hydroponic farming is a methodthat involves growing plants in nu-trient-richwater,ratherthansoil,ap-pearstobeoneeffectiveapproachtocropproductiontoday.

Richard Twum-Barimah Agyapong,Ridol Hydroponic Chief ExecutiveOfficersaidthetechnologycouldbeagoodwaytoattractyouthintoag-riculture,astheyareattractedtoac-tivitiesthatareinnovative,aesthetic,andnon-cumbersome.

“You see, this year, the rains failedfarmers.So,sayyou’reafarmerwhogrowsmaize,andalsohaveahydro-ponics system used for vegetablecultivation, should your maize cropfail, your hydroponics remain intact,andwon’tfailyoubecauseyoucon-

trol the system. “These days, wetalkmuchofclimatechangeandcli-mate-smartagriculture.Weshouldn’tjustbetalking,weneedtobeactuallydoingsomethingabout it”, saidAg-yapong.

Irrigation development gets a boost in Burkina Faso

BurkinaFasohas recently launchedtheLerabahPlainDevelopmentProj-ect (Paval) expected to extend theNiofiladam.Thedevelopmentwillin-creasetheirrigationcapacityofmorethan 1,400 hectares of additionallandintheCascadesregionofBurki-naFaso.

Theaimoftheproject isto improveagro-sylvo-pastoral and fisheriesproduction,aswellastoincreasetheincomeoffarmers,includingwomenandyoungpeople.

Burkinabeauthoritiesplantoextendthe retention capacity of the Niofiladamover a lengthof 8 kmand thedam is currently 3,000m long andgovernmentalsoplanstobuilda22km long protective dam, develop a1,000-hectareirrigatedarea,andre-habilitate the existing 410-hectarearea.

The project will require an invest-mentofnearly32billionCFAfrancs(about €49.8 million), including 21billion CFA francs (over €32million)from theAfricanDevelopmentBank(AfDB), 5.4 billion CFA francs fromtheInternationalFundforAgriculturalDevelopment (IFAD), 4.5 billionCFAfrancs (about €8.4 million) from theBurkina Faso treasury, and a con-tribution from the beneficiaries esti-matedatabout1.2billionCFAfrancs(over€1.8million).

Guinea-Bissau’s cashew farmers survive tough times

The country usually exports around200,000 tonnes each year, but thisdropped to 160,000 last year. Andthere are yet more worries as themain buyer, India, is grappling withthe Covid-19 crisis, saysMamadou

Yerro Djamanca of the Cashew Ex-porters Association of Guinea-Bis-sau.

Muchofthecrophasbeensittinginruralareaswaitingtobeboughtandtransported,heexplains.

This year the government set thepriceofcashewsatt360CFAfrancs($0.65)perkg,whichwasa28pre-centdecreasefromlastyear.

“Lastyearwasbetter-wesoldmorewineandwesolditatahigherprice,”shesays,addingthiswasthankstothecoronaviruslockdown.

“The work to press the cashews isvery tiring. Firstwego to the trees,look for the cashews, carry themback,separatethenutsfromthefruit-thenyoustartpoundingthefruit.

Natural compost increase yields for farmers in Burkina Faso

Natural compost is a reliable alter-native to chemical fertilizers in im-provingagriculturalyieldsforwomenfarmers in Burkina Faso, while pro-motingconservationofmicro-organ-isms and insects, ensuring the sur-vival ofmigratory birds and optimalpollinationofcrops.

Naturama (BirdLife in Burkina Faso)is promoting the use of compostamongsmall-scalefarmersbyoptingforheapcomposting.

“This technique has an advantage:it requires neither heavy labour norfinancial resources. In addition, oneonly requires 45 days to producecompost.Thisisinlinewiththereal-ityofsmall-scalehouseholdfarmers,especially women and young peo-ple,”saidAdamaNana,headof thePADEV-BBBproject.

The project subsidized training offarmersintheuseofthistechnique.Participantswereprovidedwithfarm-ingkitstohelpintheimplementationofthetechniqueontheirfarms.


Cover Story

Climate smart agric to escalate West Africa’s food system resilience

limatesmartagriculturehas beenidentifiedasoneofthe solutions to provide West Afri-canswithsufficient,affordable,andnutri-tiousfoodinthelongterm.

According to theFoodCrisisPreventionNetwork,arecord18.6millionpeoplearecurrently in need of food assistance inWestAfrica.Whileurgentandimmediatehumanitarianaction isnecessary topro-tectvulnerablepopulations.

The think-tanksatWorldBankandFAOhave offers fresh thinking in their lat-est publication dubbed: A Blueprint forStrengtheningFoodSystemResilienceinWestAfrica:RegionalPriorityInterventionAreasfordealingwithboththechallengesandopportunitiesresultingfromacceler-ating long-term trends including climatechange, growing populations, urbaniza-tion, changing consumption habits andtechnologicaladvances.

The researchers believe strengtheningthe food system’s productive base, bypromoting climate smart agriculture atfarmandlandscapelevels,promotinganenabling environment for intra-regionalvaluechaindevelopmentandtradefacil-itation,andenhancingregionalriskman-agement architecture and farmers’ deci-sionsupporttoolsarekey.

Chakib Jenane, World Bank Food andAgriculture Practice Manager for Westand Central Africa said enhancing agri-cultureproductivityand foodsystem re-

C silience is key tomitigate future shocksin the region. “This requires substantialinvestments in climate-smart agriculturetechnologies, inputs, and capital, accel-eratingtheuseofdigitalinnovationsthatcanhelpsmallholderstocopewithfuturecrisesanddevelopingmarket infrastruc-ture enabling the region to benefit fromproductionincreases,”saidJenane.

Jenane further said increased privatecapitalmobilization topromoteagribusi-nessanddrivesustainablelong-termsec-torgrowthisalsokey.WorldBank,FAO’ssuggestion reflectsabroad consensus across regional stake-holders.

“Thespreadofdigital technologyacrossWestAfricahas thepotential toacceler-atetheregion’sprogresstowardsreach-ing the resilience targets of the AfricanUnion. For example, improving digitalearlywarningsystemsandagrometeoro-logicaladvisorytoolscouldenablemanyproducersthatarecurrentlyunderservedbytheexistingagriculturalextensionsys-temstobetteradapttoincreasingweath-ervariability,”saidDr.SouleymaneOue-draogo, Chief Executive of PermanentInterstateCommittee fordroughtcontrolintheSahel(CILSS).

SharinghissentimentsDr.RobertZoug-moré,AfricaProgramLeader atAgricul-tureandFoodSecurity(CCAFS)saidtheCOVID-19 pandemic has exposed fra-gilities inWest Africa’s food system butconcertedeffortstopromoteitsrecovery

provideauniqueopportunityforempow-eringtheregion’s foodsystemtodeliversufficientandnutritiousfoodforall.

“Key actions include taking advantageof increased food system investmentsduring COVID-19; (2) adopting innova-tions such as climate-smart agriculture,makingregionaltradepoliciesmoreequi-table, investing inearlywarningsystemsandensuringahealthyagriculturalwork-force,”

Meanwhileforeachinterventionarea,theWorldBank,FAOreportproposesasetofregionalflagshipinitiatives,withspecifiedsets of activities, delivery mechanisms,roles for partners and other operationalaspects.

Inaddition,accelerating theevolutionofthe regional agricultural innovation sys-tembybuildingonthefoundationslaidbytheWestAfricanAgriculturalProductivityProgram(WAAPP),bydevelopingregion-al expertise in cross-cutting areas suchas mechanization and natural resourcesmanagementtocomplementtheexistingnetworkofspecializedinstitutions;

The researchers also propose establish-ingaregionallyownedscorecardmecha-nismoncountries’performanceontradepolicy implementationwithintheECOW-AS sub-region to increase countries’mutual accountability and set incentivestoreducepersistingbarrierstoagri-foodtrade and expand market opportunitiesforproducersandtradersalike.


Agriculture is Africa’s low hanging fruit - AfCFTA

hiefofStaffattheAfrican ContinentalFreeTradeArea (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Com-missioner Silver Ojakol has called ongovernments and businesses from par-ty-states to prioritisewhat he describesas ‘low-hanging’ fruits, particularly ag-ricultural tradeas thefirst,butmost im-portantsteptowardstheprosperityofthearrangement.

AccordingtoOjakol, thesectorprovidesthe ideal launchingpad for the initiative,and its proper execution is required forthewide-scale industialisationwhich thecontinentsorelyrequires.

Ojakol expressed these thoughts at theGhana-leg of a roadshowpreceding thesecond Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2021.

Offering caution, he stated that failureto tow this path could see AfCFTA endup with similar ‘unfulfilled developmentpromises’inagricultureaswitnessedun-dertheGeneralAgreementonTarrifsandTrade (GATT)aswellas theWorldTradeOrganisation(WTO).

“Agricultural trade is the prime exampleof a low-hanging fruit, and we urge themembers of the business community to

C urgeyourgovernments to free theareasthat you know are low-hanging. If youtreatagricultureintheAfCFTAinthesamemannerinwhichithasbeentreatedattheWTO,wewillnotmoveforward.”

Ojakol said an agric-first approach aidin developing inclusive regional valuechains around priority commodities, ledbyadynamicanddiverseprivatesectorofsmallholders,commercialfarmers,pro-cessors and service providers. This, henotedwouldbeaboost for intra-AfricanTradeandAfrica’s tradewith the rest oftheworld.

“Mostoftheeconomiesonthecontinentare agriculture-based. Why would youhaveyamsrottinginGhanaor inNigeriawhenpeopleinBurkinaneedit?Ifweareabletoaddressthis,thenindustrialisationwillbegintosetin,”hesaid.

Allayingfearsthattheagric-firstapproachwould lead toamonotonousmarket,hestatedthatcompetitiveadvantagewouldbring about balance and nations whichlose out in onemarket would benefit inothers,asregionsbegintospecialise.

Many of the continent’s regional eco-nomic communities have already iden-tified strategic commodities for further

development into regional value chains:EasternAfricahasprioritisedrice,beansanddairy,amongothers.WestAfricahasprioritised sorghum, livestock, fish andaquaculture products, among others.Southern Africa’s priorities include soyabeansandgroundnuts.

This regional approach, according toexperts, has the potential to absorbsmallholder farmers including womenand youth, and micro, small and medi-um-sizedenterprises,andconnect themto the larger private sectorwhich domi-natesinputandoutputmarkets.

AccordingtotheFoodandAgricultureOr-ganisation, despite Africa’s dependanceexports of its agricultural commoditiessuch as cocoa, coffee, cotton, tobacco,it remainsanet importerofstaplefoodssuch as cereals, vegetable oils, dairyproductsandmeat.

Thisisparticularlyworryingastotaltradebetween African countries stood at amere2%from2015-17,comparedto67percentforintra-regionaltradeamongEu-ropeancountries,61percentforAsia,and47percentfortheAmericas,accordingtotheUN’stradeorganisation,UNCTAD.

Regional News


ECOWAS applauds Nigeria’s organic agriculture COWAShasannouncedthat NigeriaisleadingtheWestAfrica blocinthepromotionoforganicagriculture.

Ernest Aubee, ECOWAS CommissionsaidNigeria’seffortsinorganicagriculturewerecommendableandtimely,asitwascomingatatimewhenpeoplepaidatten-tiontowhattheyeat.

“WhatNigeriaisdoingwillbenefitnotonlyNigeria,asacountry,butalsotheother14ECOWASmember states, and we hopememberstateswill takeacuefromyourstridessofar,”saidAubeeataneventon`ReportingBackAchievementsofEcolog-ical Organic Agriculture (EOA) Initiative’activities in Nigeria for the years 2014-2020andAwardpresentation.

Aubee,alsoChairman,RegionalSteeringCommittee of EOA in West Africa, saidEOAhadbeengivenaprideofplace inthe ECOWAS Commission, such that itwasdrivingtheorganicagricultureinitia-tiveforthebenefitoftheregion.

“Wemustlookathowbesttomainstreamorganicagricultureintoeverysectorofthe

E economy, toencourageandpromote itssustainabilityintheregion,”hesaid.

AubeealsourgedotherECOWASmem-ber states to start work immediately onhowbesttoensurethemainstreamingoforganicagricultureintheirlives.

MeanwhileDr.OlugbengaAdeOluwa,theNigeriaCountryCoordinatorofEOA, re-portedthattheinitiativehadthesupportoftheAfricanHeadsofStates’2020de-cision EX.CL/Dec.621 (XVII) on OrganicFarming,andthatNigeriahadbeenpartofEOAprocessessince2011.

SharinghissentimentonEOA’sachieve-ments,OyewoleGbadamosi, theProjectManagersaidthegoalwastomainstreamEOAintonationalagriculturalproductionsystemsby2025,withaviewtoimprov-ingthequalityoflifeofAfricancitizens.

“A database of organic agriculture re-search on crop and livestock was pro-duced and distributed in strategic insti-tutional libraries in Nigeria; in bridgingorganicresearchgapsinthecountry.

“It also supported theproduction of the

current revised version of Organic Agri-cultureStandardsinNigeria.

“Theinitiativehassuccessfullysupportedone PhD degree programme, while thesupport of another one is ongoing. WealsosupportedeightMastersstudiesandpublication of seven research articles inaninternationaljournal.

“Thecurriculum fora fullprogrammeonOrganic Agriculture Technology (OAT) intheCollegesofAgriculturehasbeenpro-duced.Thematerial is ready tobe sub-jectedtopre-criticandnationalvalidationworkshops, before absorption by thecolleges, after approval by the NationalBoardforTechnicalEducation,”hesaid.

TheProjectManageralsonoted that in-tensivesensitisationonthebenefitsofor-ganicagriculturewasbeingpromotedbytheInitiative.

“We have done a lot of intensive sensi-tisation on the benefits of organic ag-riculture with the production of a lot ofinformationandeducationalmaterialsonorganicagricultureinEnglishanddifferentindigenouslanguagesofthecountry.

Regional News


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Regional News

Ghana agriculture minister’s ingenuity applauded By AGYEMAN OPAMBOURndeed,ittakesonlyavisionaryleaderwithverygoodforesighttobeabletoidentifyandselectthebestkindofpeopletoworkwith.

When Nana Akufo Addo said “We havetheMen”,littledidweknowthathewastalkingaboutMenwhohavegonethroughthemill,andhavestoodthetestoftime?Menwhohaveexcelled inallspheresoflife;beingacademia,socialandpolitical.Great men who possess extraordinarycompetence and unquestionable exper-tise tomanourvarioussectorministriesandagencies.

Today, with the records available, I canconfidentlysaywithoutanyiotaofdoubtthat thebestamongall thesegreatmenisDr.OwusuAfiriyieAkoto, theMinisterforFoodandAgriculture.And thathe isthebestthingthatPresidentAkufoAddohasgiventoGhana,AfricaandtheWorldatlarge.

It is undeniable fact that in 2017, theAkufo Addo led administration came tomeetasuffocatingeconomyofwhichtheagriculture sector was not an exceptionwith zero innovative ideas to resuscitateitfromitsdyingstate.

It took thePresident andhis competentAgricultureMinistertorolloutaprogramto help modernize the backbone of theGhanaianEconomy(Agriculture)tocreatemorejobsandfoodtogivelifebacktothedyingeconomy.

WiththeovertwomillionjobscreatedbythePlantingForFoodandJobsProgram,

I GhanabeendescribedastheFoodBas-ketofWestAfrica, the recordsare therefor every discerning mind to read andappreciatewhyDr.OwusuAfiriyieAkotoistoutedasthebestAgricultureMinisterthatPresidentAkufoAddohasofferedtotheworld.

At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemicwith its associated lockdowns and re-strictions,weallrealizedtheusefulnessofthe ingenuity of theAgricultureMinister;whereGhanabecameahopeandagricul-turaliconiccountryformanyWestAfricancountries. We had food that sustainedus throughout theheatof thepandemicwhensomeWestAfricancountriesweregoing through starvation as a result oftheirinabilitytoimportenoughfoodfromothercountriesduetothepandemicanditsrelatedimportrestrictions.

ItwasnosurprisetohearSamJonasde-scribingtheagriculturesectorastheonlysectorthathasbeenofimmensehelptooureconomyduringthepandemic.

TimewillnotpermitmetoenumeratethewonderfulcontributionsthattheDr.Ako-to ledAgricultureministry has played inthesustainabilityofsomeofthePresidentAkufoAddokeyflagshipprogramssuchas the Free Senior High School (FSHS)andtheOneDistrictOneFactory (1D1F)Programsamongothers.

Putting the welfare of our farmers first,andcreatingaconduciveenvironmentforthem to continue to offer their peerlesscontributions to thegrowthofourecon-omy, President Akufo Addo led admin-

istration under the ingenuity of theBestAgricultureMinister ever, have institutedaPensionSchemeProgramforourhard-workingcocoafarmersacrossthelengthand breadth of this country. SomethingthathasmadefarmingmorelucrativeandmoreappetizingforourYouththanitusedtobeinthepreviousyears.

Indeed it takes great men to break re-cords and set new ones. As I’m typingright now, Dr Afiriyie Akoto led Ministryhasbrokenanoldrecordandhavesetanewunprecedented recordby recordingover 1.3 million metric tonnes of cocoawithalmosttenmoreweekstoclosethecocoaseasonthisyear.Anoldunprece-dented record that was set during Prof.Millsadministration.

It is only a man like Dr. Owusu AfiriyieAkotowhocanengineersuchanachieve-ment for his country. Dr Akoto is anachiever who has achieved the best fortheAkufoAddoledgovernment.

It is therefore not out of place to showappreciationtoourPresident,HisExcel-lencyNanaAddoDankwaAkufoAddoforgivenustheBestAgricMinisterEver.Thank you Nana Addo! Ghanaians areextremelyproudofyouandyourfantas-ticand reliableBestMinister,Dr.OwusuAfiriyieAkoto.

Nowonderyoudescribehimasyourbo-somfriendwithwhomyoucangladlyrelyontoachieveallthedreamsyouhaveforthiscountry.


Regional News

Nigerian smallholder farmers get tobacco industry support ritishAmericanTobaccoNigeriaFoundation(BATNF) hasannouncedplanstoinvestoverN2billionto supportsmallholder farmersacross the36States inthefederation.

According to theFoundation, themove isaimedat improvingthelivesofsmallholderfarmersandenablingthemtoscaleupfromsubsistencetocommercialagriculture,toboostfoodpro-ductioninthecountry.

Fatai Afolabi, the Foundation’s Technical Committee memberrecentlytoldmediathatBATNFhaschosenpassionforsupport-ingandempoweringruralsmallholderfarmersinthecountrytocontributetofoodproductivityinordertorealizefoodsecurityviasustainablecommercialagriculture.

The Foundation’s Technical Committee said the initiative is aworthyrecognitionofthediligenteffortsovertheyearstopro-motegoodagriculturalpracticesamongruralsmallholderfarm-ersandempoweringyouthsinagricultureandotherenterprises.

“AsaFoundation,wereachedouttoyoungpeoplethroughthe

B provisionofseedgrantstoscaleuptheiragribusinesseswhilstalsoprovidingmentorshipandinternshipopportunities,whichiswhywearebeingrecognizedheretoday.

“Wehavealsoestablishedthe#WealthisHereinitiative,acam-paigndevelopedtoreinvigoratetheentrepreneurialspiritintheyoungergenerationthroughsustainableagriculture,”saidAfo-labi.MeanwhileBATNFGeneralManager,OloladeJohnsonsaidtheFoundationisaboutruralfarming,notingthatitscustomersarerural farmerswith coremandate to help small holder farmersearnasustainableincome.

“Weareawarethatpeopleintheruralcommunityareoftenig-nored.Itisourcommitmentandprioritytoensurethattheygrowwiththerestoftheworld,”shesaid.


Regional News

Togo farmers embrace drones to increase production

spartofeffortstoincreasefood production,farmersinTogohave roped in drones to collect datatohelpsoilfertilitymanagementandde-tectionofdiseases.

Thedroneshelp the farmers instrategicdecision-making,but theyarealsogoodforeverydaymaintenancechores.

FarmersinTogoareincludedinaprojectthatisspearheadedbyacompanycalledE-AgriSky.FarmersinKovié,some40kmnorth of the Togolese capital Lomé, arebenefittingfromtheproject.

Togolesefarmer,CarlosSanve,inappre-ciatingthedronetechnologytoldAfricaNewsthattheuseofdronesreducesme-chanicaldamagestocropsandisanef-ficienttool.

‘’Their(thedrones)wayofsprayingisbet-

A terthanourway.Weneed

towalkthroughthecroptodothespray-ing,whichdamagesthecommoditiesbe-causewewalk on the rice.But they donottouchthefieldbecauseeverythingisdone in theair.Weprefer theirmethod’’Sanvesaid.

E-Agri Sky Coordinator, Pascal Tsekpuisaid the drone technologies will revolu-tionalizetheagriculturesectorinTogo.

“IwouldsaythatAfricaisabitbehindintheuseofthesedigitaltools.Butontheotherhand,Iwouldn’tsaythatitisadelaybutitisalackofwill.Iusedtowatchmov-iesandseejustwhitepeopledoingitandIthoughtwhencanwegetthere?

Butsincewegotintoit,we’veseenthatwe’vedonereallygood.Wehaveencoun-tereddifficultiesbutweadaptthesedig-

italtoolstoourAfricancontext”hesaid.

TheWestAfricancountriesmaizeproduc-tionsurgedfrom538thousandtonnesin2001 to 950 thousand tonnes in 2020growingatanaverageannualrateof3.4percent. It is likely that the productioncould increase further with the help oftechnology.

MeanwhiletheObserverResearchFoun-dation (ORF)noted thatdrones inAfricahavemanyotheruses.Theseinclude,ob-serving themovement of displaced vul-nerablegroups, carryingout searchandrescuemissionsindisaster-risk

zones,deliver emergencymedical cargosupplies to inaccessibleareas,mapandsurvey rural land,agricultureandwildlifeconservation.

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UN to support 10,000 farmers in Nigeria heUnitedStatesAgencyfor InternationalDevelopment (USAID)hasawardeda$500,000(N205 million) co-investment grantthrough its West Africa Trade & Invest-mentHub (Tradehub) toPYXERAGlob-altoboostNigeria’sagriculturalsystemsandfoodsecuritypursuit.

“TheUSAID-fundedWestAfricaTrade&InvestmentHubhasawardeda$500,000co-investment grant to PYXERA Global,anot-for-profitwithextensiveexperiencedesigning training and capacity-buildingprograms, to support the launch of itsWest Africa Agriculture Resilience Pro-gram(WAFARP),”saidMichaelClements,Tradehub’sChiefofPartyinastatement.

Theprogrammewillassist10,000farmerscultivatingrice,maize,andsoybeanwith-inNigeria’sKebbi,CrossRiver,andBenueStates.

Accordingtothestatement,thesestatesarefocalareasfortheTradeHubinNige-ria,whoseworkalignswithandsupportsthe mission of the U.S. Government’sFeedtheFutureinitiative.

Thesmallholder farmersPYXERAGlobalis assisting have faced numerous chal-lenges because of the COVID-19 pan-demic, including income loss from notproducing crops as planned, and thattheirchallengeshaveresultedindisruptedmarketchannelsandfoodsupplychains.

Clementssaid the initiativewouldbe le-veragingontheexistingagribusinesssys-temsofDantataFoodsandAlliedProd-ucts Company Limited (Dantata Foods),whilePYXERAGlobalwillprovideanav-enue for smallholders in its programmetoincreasecropyieldandboosttheirin-comes.

“Nigeria’s agricultural sector has beenparticularlyhardhitbytheCOVID-19pan-demic, negatively impacting smallholderfarmers and the communities of peoplewhodependontheirsuccessingrowingcrops,”Clementssaid.

Hefurthersaid:“WeareexcitedaboutthepotentialofPYXERAGlobal’sWestAfricaAgricultureResilienceProgramtobolsteragriculturalsystemsandexpecttoco-in-vestinothersuchprogramsaspartofourCOVID-19rapidresponseinitiative.”

T Meanwhile Clements explained furtherthat the goal will be achieved by firstbringing all the smallholders intoDanta-ta Foods’ outgrower programme, as thecompanywill both assist the smallhold-erstoincreasecropsyieldsandbuyfromthemaswell.

He said to ensure quality output for thecropsitbuys,thecompanywillsupplythesmallholderswithqualityseedsandotherfarminputs.

WhilebeingsupportedbyPYXERAGlob-al, the statement noted that DantataFoodswillalsoprovidetrainingprogramsto help the smallholders produce high-er-quality crops that command betterprices.

“The crops produced through the pro-gramwillbetakentoDantataFoods’ag-gregation centers already located in the

threetargetstatesofKebbi,CrossRiver,andBenue,wherethesmallholderswillbepaidbythecompanyatprevailingmarketrates,”thestatementnoted.

Dantata Foods chairman, TajuddeenDantata, said, “It is our greatest aim tosupportandimprovethelivelihoodofev-eryone in the society, especially the un-derrepresentedwomenandyouth in theagriculturalsector.”

Through the program, he explained thatthesmallholderswhichwillinclude50percentwomen or youth are anticipated toproduce25,000metrictonnesofeachofthevaluechainsinthefirstseasonandanadditional5,000metrictonsinthesubse-quentseasons.

“Thetotalnetincomeisprojectedtobe$6.72millionand$9.8millionforeachre-spectiveseason,”hesaid.

Regional News


AFAP, Fertilizer Canada to boost rural farmers’ potential heAfricanFertilizerand AgribusinessPartnership(AFAP) andFertilizerCanadaarelaunch-inganewinitiativetosupportsmallholdersub-SaharanAfricanfarmers,particularlywomenandyouth.

Planned interventionswill see amarkedimprovementinsocio-economicwell-be-ingandincomeearningpotentialforover80,000 smallholder farmers in Ethiopia,Ghana,andSenegal.

The collaborative effort is part of theGlobalAffairsCanada-funded4RNutrientStewardship (Right Source @ the RightRate,RightTime,andRightPlace®)proj-ectinEthiopia,Ghana,andSenegalbeingimplementedbyFertilizerCanadaandtheCo-operativeDevelopmentFoundationofCanada.

The partnership will run for three yearswith the possibility of an extension de-pendingontheresults.Duringthisperiod,AFAP and Fertilizer Canada will designagriculture interventions that incorporatethe4RNutrientStewardship,aCanadianconcept.

T “FertilizerCanada ispleased tobepart-neringwithAFAPincreatingnewopportu-nitiesforsmallholderfarmersbyadvanc-ing sustainable and resilient agriculturepractices,”saidClydeGraham,ExecutiveVicePresidentatFertilizerCanada.

“The4RNutrientStewardshipframeworkhelpsfarmerstomaximizeyieldandeco-nomic benefit while minimizing environ-mental concerns related to agriculture.Fertilizer Canada will bring agronomicknowledgeandtrainingonboardastheyworkwithAFAPtoadoptthe4R’stoAfri-canconditions.”

“This collaboration is an opportunity forshared learning betweenAFAP and Fer-tilizerCanada.Theplanistointegratethe4RNutrientStewardship frameworkwithAFAP’sMarket IntelligenceSystem(MIS)and Agribusiness Partnership Contract(APC) programs” says Jason Scarpone,President and CEO of AFAP, an inde-pendent non-profit organization focusedon raising African farm family incomesthrough improving sustainable fertilizersandfertilizerstechnology.

BothMISandAPChavetodate,trainedfarming communities, linked and devel-oped hub-and-spoke networks of 420wholesale distributors with over 6,000retailnetworksentirelyserving7.5millionsmallholder farmers across 8 countries(Tanzania,Uganda,Mozambique,Malawi,Ghana,BurkinaFaso,Mali,andNigeria).

“Wewillfocusonstrengtheningwomen’sleadership in agricultural cooperatives,improveaccesstoproductiveresources,andpromotebestpracticesinintegratedsoil fertility management and conserva-tion agriculture,” said Sandra Pires, Di-rectorofAgribusinessProgramsatAFAP.

Adoptingthe4RprincipleswillboostAf-rica’s agricultural productivity and farmincome while increasing crop resiliencetoclimatechange.Bymakingsustainablefertilizers and fertilizers technology anintegral part of farm practices, the proj-ects will strengthen rural development,increasefoodsecurity,andimprovecom-petitiveness for small-holder farmers inthe Sub Saharan Africa regions particu-larlyinGhana,Ethiopia,andSenegal.

International News


Business, Companies & Markets

John Deere introduce the beast...the biggest tractor in town

esignedtomaximisetimein thefieldwhileoptimisingyield, the new 9R-Series is the latestcontender for the largest, strongest andmost technologically advanced JohnDeereTractoronthemarketinAfricaandtheMiddleEast.

Thenew9R-Seriesoffersmaximumpow-erandstateoftheartprecisionagtech-nology. Equippedwith all of the original9Rspecs,theupgraded9R-Serieslineupistheonlytractorseriesonthemarketof-feringawheeled(9R),two-track(9RT)andfour-track (9RX) configuration to ensureoptimumperformance,effectivenessandefficiency on all types of soil. It enablesfarmerstocovermoregroundinlesstimewithgreateraccuracyandqualityandre-duce their operating costs, all while en-joyingalarger,morecomfortablecab.

In addition, the new 9R-Series Tractorscome equipped with the revolutionaryJohn Deere PowerTech™ 13.6L (830-cuin)engine.

Designed for enhanced performanceand reliability, the all-new 13.6L engineoffers 390-590 horsepower, optimal fuelefficiency and robust engine capacitythroughoutyourday.

“We achieve this by leveraging ahigh-pressure common-rail (HPCR) sys-temandahydraulicfandrive.The13.6Lengine offers 13.5 percent more horse-

D power than the13.5Lengine, threeper-centmorefluidefficiency,50percentlessenginenoise,a27percent improvementinrepairabilityanda13percentreductioninmaintenance costs,” said JohnDeereofficials.

Thenew9R-Seriesisalsodesignedwiththe strenuous daily activities of farm-ers inmind.Deliveringultimateoperatorcomfort and convenience, the operatorstationnowprovides youwith extendedheadroom, a wider entry path, a largerintegratedrefrigerator,newseatoptions,touchscreenradio,footrestsandmore.All9R-SeriesTractorsofferthechoiceofSe-lect,PremiumorUltimatecabpackagestochoosefrom.

“AtJohnDeere,weunderstandthatfarm-ingbeginsbefore sunriseandendswellaftersunset.Wehavedesignedthenew9R-Series to includenewvisibilitypack-ages for added operator convenience.These threenewvisibilitypackagespro-vide additional lighting, sunshade andcamera options to ensure you are com-fortableduringextendedworkingperiods,regardlessofthetimeofday.”

With thenew9R-Series,onewillalwaysbe on schedule thanks to the increasedmaxballast,designedformaximumtrac-tionanddrivetrainefficiency.

“But what does thismean for you as afarmer? Reduced slip, increased power

atthedrawbarandbestofall,increasedproductivity.”

To keep operators on track, all the new9R-SeriesTractorsincludeaGen4Com-mand Center, AutoTrac activation andJDLink™,whichfeaturesanall-newStar-Fire6000IntegratedReceiver.

With JDLink™ connectivity, as soon asthenew9Rleavesthefactory,itisreadyforaction.JDLink™providesfarmerswithJohn Deere Connected Support™ andexpertalertstohelpensurethatyourtrac-tors operatewithout interruption.PleaserefertoyourJohnDeereDealerforJDLink™andWirelessTechnologyApprovals.

The StarFire™ 6000 Integrated Receiv-er is designed to reduce setup time byeliminating terraincompensationmodule(TCM)calibrations.

Withreducedpull-inandremotesoftwaredownloadtimes,youhaveenhancedpre-cision and control. All receivers are fullyserviceable and upgradable to newergenerations. Closing off the integratedtechnology is the highly recommendedGen4 4600CommandCenter™Automa-tionActivation4.0.

All integratedtechnologyiscountry-spe-cific depending on in-country require-mentsandpriorapprovalsbyJohnDeere.Contact your John Deere representativeformoreinformationonavailability.


Insight

EU agriculture policies to benefit African farmers By HANS WETZELS ilbertBormanagesasmallfarm inthewesternhighlandsof Kenya.Landscapesarehilly,vil-lageroadslinedwithpinetrees,hiscowsmostlyoftheFriesianbreed.Heisupat6:00amdailytoleadhisanimalsthroughthewoodsintothevalleybelow.

MostfarmersinandaroundhisvillageinKapseretgrowmaizeorbeansforsubsis-tence.Butthatissettochange,saysBor.East African regional authorities havestarted promoting cash crops like avo-cadosandcoffeetoincreaseKenyanex-ports to theEuropeanUnionandChina.At thesame time, local farmersareget-tingorganizedaswell,saysBor.Hisowncommunitycollectivelyinvestedinamilktanktostrengthenitspositiononregionaldairymarkets.

“For products like coffee, mangoes orpeanuts,Europeisanimportantmarket,”Borexplains,enthusiastically.“Cropsex-portedfromKenyaareexemptfromtaxa-tioninEurope.Thatalsogoesforexportsto Europe from Ghana, Nigeria and theFrancophonecountries.”

The EU is a global agricultural pow-erhouse. The 27-country bloc feedsa steady stream of processed foods,grains, dairy and meats onto the worldmarketwhileimportinglargequantitiesofrawcommodities likesoy,sugarcaneor

G palmoil,tropicalvegetablesandfruitslikeavocados.

Globalization is making markets betteraccessible to farmers like Mr. Bor. Hesays: “Almost all EUcountriespurchaseKenyanagriculturalgoods.Whostandstobenefitmostwill dependonwhatcoun-trieslikeGermanyortheNetherlandsde-cide.AfricanfarmersmustkeepaclosereyeonEuropeanpolicymakers.”

In particular, African farmers need towatchtheevolutionoftheEU’sCommonAgricultural Policy (CAP) that was con-ceivedin1962toprovideaffordablefoodforitspopulationpost-WorldWarII.

Under CAP, the EU became so efficientthat surpluses piled up. The authori-ties subsequently introduced export re-funds—paying international traders thedifferencebetweentheEU’shighinternalpricesandlowerworldmarketprices.

Those subsidies put pressure on foodpricesworldwide, leading to detrimentaleffectsonAfricanfarmingeconomies.

However,theEUabandoneditstrade-dis-tortingsubsidiesin2017.AyearlatertheEU-Parliament, for the first time ever,commissioneda studyon the impactoftheCAParoundtheglobe.

“In recent yearswe have seen progressin better aligning agriculture with inter-nationaldevelopmentgoals,”saysMariaBlanco,head-authoroftheTechnicalUni-versityinMadrid,Spain.

However, simply increasing internationaltrade in agricultural products would notautomatically lead to better incomes forAfricanfarmers,expertssay.

If unchecked, such trade could damagethe environment, lead to the displace-ments of local peoples or human rightsviolations.

Ms. Blanco warns: “Importing sugar-cane from outside Europe would createeconomic activity in the global south.Butcommodity imports fromdevelopingcountriescanalso lead to landgrabsorenvironmentalpollution.”

Commoditiesareusuallygrownon largeplantations. Once money starts pouringinthestakes,economicallyandpolitically,areraised,whichputsmallfarmersatrisk.The shift to industrial-style agricultureusuallyputstremendouspressureontheenvironmentwhen it comes to chemicalusage,deforestationorwaterpollution.

Researchbythethink-tankARC2020andthe German NGO Heinrich Böll Stiftungfinds that theEUagricultural policy cre-


ates ripple effects around the globe.Trade arrangements with Honduras, forexample,concentratedthebananatradein the hands of fewmultinationalswhilethedemandforgrainandsoyainEuropeencourageslandcontrolinCentralAsia.

Despitethepositiveoutlook,Africanfarm-ersareunderunrelentingpressureofEUexports.AftermarketsinsideEuropewereawashwithmilkaftertheblocabandoneditsquotasystemin2015,DutchandGer-manproducersquicklysoughtoutotherexportopportunities.

Global dairy players like Danone orFrieslandCampina have increased theirprocessing capabilities in West Africa.The FrieslandCampina subsidiaryWAM-CO controls no less than 75 percent ofthemilkmarketinNigeria.

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In Ghana increased exports of frozenchicken,from13,000metrictonsin2003to 175,000 in 2019, have affected localproduction.

Over90percentofchickenmeatsinsu-permarkets in Ghana are imported fromtheUnitedStatesortheEU.

“Poultryhasthehighestturnoveranditsshort cycle of production is for incomegenerationforfarmersinGhana.ButEu-ropeanexportsoffrozenchickensnega-tivelyaffectourownmeatindustry,”wor-riespoultryfarmerAnthonyAkunzule.

ThenewlyestablishedAfricanContinen-talFreeTradeArea(AfCFTA)couldboostAfrican farmers’ efforts to competewiththeEU.Thetradeagreement,whichelim-inatestariffsbetweenAfricancountriesby

90percentandtacklescustomsdelays,could foster intra-African trade in agri-culture. Professor of European Agricul-tural PolicyAlanMatthews of the TrinityCollege, Dublin, says attention is rightlyshifting attention away from the notionthatCAPaloneisresponsibleforAfrica’sagriculturalwoes.

Mathews says thatAfricangovernmentshadfailedtoprioritizeinvestmentinruralareas,evenasmostexpertsnowbelievetheAfCFTAwillbeagamechangerforAf-rica’sdevelopment.

WhatAfrica farmersneedare favourablepoliciesandactions inbothEuropeandAfrica, says Bor. For now, he says that,“Opportunities are all around for smallfarmers like me, mostly in the organicniche.”


Technology News

Data as information in Africa and the US heUnitedStateshasawell- establishedcommercial agricultural industry in compar-ison to the continent of Africa. Africanfarmers mostly rely on government-ledinitiatives (i.e. agricultural extension ser-vices), word ofmouth, and recently de-veloped digital technologies to improveagricultural productivity and share infor-mation.

However, these digital technologies arenotbeingutilizedtoreflecttheirpotential.On the other hand, one way Americanfarmers improve productivity is throughsharingdatatoimproveprecisionagricul-turedigital tools.This technology is sel-domused inAfrica,buthasbenefits forfarmerswhereemployed.

Asdetailedinoneofourpreviousposts,agricultural information sharing in Africais largely an effort of government initia-tives. Agricultural extension services arethemainprogrambywhich this occurs.Extension agents offer farmer supportthrough information on market access,technology,andskills.

However,theseeffortsarehistoricallyun-derfunded and widely inefficient. Therearealsomoreinformalformsof informa-tiondissemination:farmertofarmercon-tactinthefield,atthemarket,orinsocialsettings (i.e. religious gatherings). Also,technology has grown in use in recentyears,butitseffectivenessisdebatable.

The agricultural landscape in theUnitedStatesissignificantlydifferent.Forone,itisheavilycontrolledby foodgiantsrath-er than smallholder, family farms. The

T onlyactivityprofitableformanyAmericanfarmers is growing corn and soybeanstosellasanimalfeedtocorporations; infact,thispracticenowdominatesAmeri-canfarming.Whilefarmersdohavesys-tems to communicatewith one another,corporations reign supreme on dictatingthebasicsoffarmerbehavior.

Farmerdatasharinghasbecomean im-portant component of improving preci-sionagriculture in theUnitedStates.Bytracking informationsuchasyieldmoni-tor,soilsample,andimagerydata,farm-ersadvancetheaccuracyofdigitaltoolsthat result inactionabledecisions to im-prove practices that reduce risk and in-crease profitability. Digital technologiesused include mobile applications, webplatforms,andservicesthatuseag-tech.Over 92 percent of farmers share theirdatawithat leastonepersonor serviceoutside of their operation, with the ex-pectationthatvaluewillbeaddedtotheircrops. Agronomic consultants and seedsales representativesare typicallywherethisinformationisshared.

SomeAmerican farmers are reluctant toshare information with service provid-ersduetoa lackof legalandregulatoryframeworksonthesubject.Thismayleadfarmerstoforgotheadoptionofprecisionorsmartagriculturealtogether.Someoth-er challenges to adoption include con-cernsaboutdataprivacy,ownership,andequitablesharingofbenefitsofdatacol-lection.Moral questions have also beenraised about access, cost, and scale ofdigitizingfarms.Theseworriesshouldbeaddressedtoinformbestpracticesofag-riculturaldatacollectionanduse.

InWest Africa, precision agriculture andbig data collection is considered “irrele-vant”tosome,suggestingthistechnolo-gyhasnotbeensubstantiallyusedinthisregionthusfar.Specifically,collectingsoildataforprecisionnutrientmanagementisrareinWestAfrica,butdigitalmappingofsoil fertility is happening within multiplecountriesinthearea.Therearemanyef-fortstoincreaseengagementinprecisionagriculture anddata collection practicesin this location, citing benefits such asincreased productivity and greater foodsecurity.

Thepotentialofbigdataanalytics inAf-rican agriculture is developing, as it isin the United States, albeit more slow-ly. However, digital farmer informationsharingplatformsdrawconcernsamongsomesmallholderfarmersinSriLanka,sotheremaybesimilarexpectationsfortheuptake of collecting and sharingdata indevelopingcountries.

Despitethis,adoptionofdatacollectionsand sharing has a large potential to im-prove the African agricultural sector. InUganda,around7,000farmershaveuseddronetechnology,amechanismofpreci-sion agriculture, to collect data on cropyields and fence monitoring. This hasresulted in positive benefits for farmers,such as improved crop insurance andbetteryields.

FortheentiretyofAfrica,adoptionofpre-cision agriculture could enable greaterfoodsecurity,asclimatechangeandsoildegradationworsenandnewtechniquesforquicklyadaptingtonewcircumstanc-esareneeded.

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Technology News

Where solar power meets agricultural markets n2015,HabibaAli,thefounderandMD-CEOofSosaiRenewableEnergiesCompanybasedinKaduna,Nigeria,hadatryingtimeconvincingtheC&Imar-ketthatrenewableswasthewaytogo.

Often, shewasmetwith a “don’t comewith your environmental talk” sentiment.Todaythingsareverydifferent.

The change has seen the C&I marketboomandmostbanksarenowinvestinginsolarinstallations.“It’sbeensoexcitingtowitness this change,which has beensuddenand fast, because itmeans thatall of my groundwork in previous yearshasnotbeeninvain.”

Habiba’s passion is infectious and herdrive to promote renewable energy inbudding communities and urban areas– executing solar installations and driveproduct adoption and improving cookstovesforruralcommunities–hasmadeherarespectedvoiceinthegreenenergyspace inWest Africa. However, the sta-tisticsthatreflecttherealityof themanymillions that still do not have access toenergy,keepherfeetplantedfirmlyontheground.

However,shecautionsthatifthestatisticsare not changing then thework has notbeen fruitful: “Some of the research wedid in2010, indicateda rise in theener-gyladder.Theenergypyramid,whereyouhadalotmorepeopleatthebottomusingfirewood,charcoalandkerosene,showedmovementupthepyramidtouseofgasandelectricity.Nowthedreamistoturnthatpyramidupsidedown,andgetmorepeopleusingelectricityorgas.Ifwe’restillchurningoutthatsamedata,itmeansalloftheworkwe’veputinisreallywastedandthatreallyhurts.It’sreallyfrustrating.”

ThemotheroftwoisrightlyveryproudofarecentsuccessforSosaiintheformofaresearchgrantbytheUnitedStatesTradeandDevelopmentAgency(USTDA).

Sheexplains: “We’vebeenable to iden-tify thousandsofcommunities inNigeriathatneedrenewableenergysolutionsde-ployedtothem.Toreachevenmorepeo-ple,weneedmoredata.TheUSTDAdofeasibilitystudieswhichtheyfund100%.

Wewere able to present to them about100 communities across three states inNigeria(Kogi,KadunaandPlateaustates).

I Weweregrantedover$900,000toimple-ment these feasibility studies,whichwillhelp us to identify the communities thatareviableforaprojectrollout.”

According toAli,withsuchdataand in-formation, investorswill take themmoreseriously.“Oneofthethingsyouwillfind,especiallyinthissector,isthatittakesalot for a woman-owned business to betaken seriously. I’ve been in this indus-tryforover14yearsandknowthattobewell-regardedmeanstotickalltheboxesandworktwiceashardjusttomakeyour-selfrelevant.”

It’snowanexcitingtimetobeawomanin energy: “We signed the award agree-mentinFebruarywheretheambassadorof theUSand thenewheadofUSTDA,bothwomen,werepresentamongotherleadingfigureheads.”

Beingawoman-ownedbusinessalsohasitsadvantages,shehasdiscovered:“Youknow, startingout asawoman isdiffer-ent;itisdifficult.Youneedtolearnalltheropesandgrowyournetworkwhileyourhealth, your family suffer. But then withtime,onceyou’vegotthehangofit,peo-ple start realising that you’re not goinganywhere,you’rethere.”

That moment of realisation is when thebenefitsofbeingawomanstart comingthrough. “For example, the first USADFawardwereceivedhad25%oftheoverallscoreallocatedtobeingafemale-ownedcompany. So yes, we’ve got some verygoodvalueforbeingfemale-owned.”

AccordingtoAli,adirectresultofthepan-demichasbeentheinabilitytodoinstal-lations in communities,which has post-ponedrevenueandadoptionbythelocalresidents, particularly as a lot of peopleare cash-strapped. “If I’ve lived for 15to 20 yearswithout any electricity,whatmakesyouthinkdelayinganotheroneortwoyearswouldmakeanydifference tomylifestyle?”

ThissetbackwillnotdiscourageAli:“I’moneoftheadvocatesof‘wecannotstopourlivesbecauseofCOVID’.Wecanjustlearntolivearoundit,livetogethersome-how. It’s just like living with malaria aswe’vedonesoforyears.”

Sosai has started installing solar dryingsystemsatagriprojects,suchasforpine-

apple andmango farming communities.Ali finds the agricultural sector particu-larlyinspiringandcomplementarytotheirwork.

“People can do without energy, but noonecandowithout food,right?Andev-erydayyoufindoutthatintheagricultur-alsector,there’salwaysmoreinnovationandthat’sveryexciting.

In Nigeria, people doing extension ser-vices are helping to improve farmers’practices, ensuring they farm regularlyovertheyears.Inthesameway,ourso-lardryingprojectwillbenefitfarmers.Yes,people already had practices but we’rejustofferingabetterwaynow.”

Theagribusinesssector isconstantly in-novating,constantlydoingthingsthatwillimprove it,make it better. “Lookingat itfroman investmentpointof view, it is asure banker for revenue. It’s an excitingmarketformewhereenergyforservicesbasedinagriculturewillhaveahugeim-pact. Solar drying systems are just thebeginningandwehopetoextendthisintoprocessing and irrigation. These are thesolutions we are thinking to tie into the100communitiescomingup.”

FortheSosaiRenewableEnergiesfound-er,findingpartnersandworkingtogetherforacommoncausehasbecomeanatu-ralwayofdoingbusinessandpromotingahealthierwayofliving.Beingamemberof theEnlitAfricaadvisoryboard isalsobeneficialforeveryone,shesays.

Having‘peopleofrepute’onyouradviso-ry board isn’t enough anymore, advisesAli.

“Havingpeopleonboardwhoareprac-titioners, who are hands on, constantlyinnovating,ismorepractical.Wemustdoourutmosttoensurethatacceptanceofavarietyofsolutionsiswidelyspreadandmoresustainable”

According to Ali, having announced herinvolvementasanadvisoryboardmem-bertoEnlitAfricaonLinkedInhasalreadygainedmileage:“Peopleareasking,‘Oh,really, who is she?’ and they are takingnotice, asking questions and it adds toourcredibility.Soit’squiteexcitingtobelisted as an Enlit Africa advisory boardmember.”


Alapala completes another turnkey project in Ecuador

lapalahasrecentlycompleted anewflourmillprojectfor Molinos Miraflores S.A. in Am-bato,Ecuador.

Operating with an experience of morethan100years,MolinosMirafloresisoneofthemostpreferredflourbrandsinEc-uadortoday.Thecompanydecidedtoin-vestinanewflourmillingplantinAmbatoarea,asagreenfieldprojectcompletedinMay2021.

Asoneof the leadingsolutionprovidersingrainmillingtechnologies,Alapalawasassigned for the supply and installationof the new flourmill on a turnkey basisincluding project design, manufacturing,project management, installation, andcommissioning services. With the com-pletion of this project, Alapala success-fully delivered its 2nd turnkey referenceprojectinthecountry.

ThenewflourmillofMirafloresoperateswithacapacityof150 tonsperday,us-inghardandsemi-hardwheattoproducehigh-quality bakery and cake flours fordomestic distribution. The new steel si-losoftheplanthaveatotalgrainstoragecapacityof4,500tons,integratedwithanintakepitandpre-cleaningsystem.

The steel structure of the new flourmillwasalsoprovidedbyAlapalaConstruc-tion,whichspecializesinthedesign,sup-ply, and construction of industrial build-ingsworldwide.

A

Theflourmill hasanadvancedautoma-tion system combined with Scada soft-ware.Byenablingcentralizedmonitoringoftheentireprocessfromwheatintaketoflourpackaging, thesystemprovides in-tegratedprocesscontrolandtraceabilityadvantages.Thesystemalsohasanad-vanced report generation ability for pro-

duction,yield,efficiency,etc.data.

Theremoteconnectionfeatureofthesys-temalso enables theAlapala after-salesteamtoaccessthemill for technicalas-sistanceincludinginspection,errordiag-nosis,calibration,andtroubleshooting.


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