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Will digital revolutionize agriculture in Africa and help improve yields? Some people believe a lot in it, although there is still a long way to go. Morocco has started with that, with a view to extending what works against the other countries on the African continent. The future of agriculture in Morocco was at the heart of a virtual discussion organized by Impact Lab * on 5 May.
The use of digital technology is spreading more and more today in Africa. That is the case in Morocco. But their supply is still embryonic, even non-existent for small farmers
“There are technical reasons that prevent access to the connection. There is also an economic problem, because today small farmers will hardly buy the technology, while they struggle every day to get an interesting production “, says Mouhsine Lakhdissi, founder and CEO of Agridata Consulting **. It is up to the state and the big players, especially the agricultural industries, to work hand in hand to be able to integrate this small farm into this technical shock. I believe that start-ups have offers for small-scale agriculture. ”
Technology that is not always subsidized
Despite the presence of these offers from start – ups, the technology is not subsidized in almost all countries. For example, if a farmer wants to get a drone to better monitor his farm, he can only rely on his income. In addition to the financing problems, training is needed to get new technology adopted by the majority of farmers.
“The farmer relies a lot on his ancestor’s knowledge. There is some adaptation depending on the surprises it encounters during the agricultural season. But we will stay more or less on the same harvest date, the same amount of fertilizer to be applied, the same amount of water, etc. “, says Faissal Sehbaoui, CEO of AgriEdge, a start-up of the OCP group (Moroccan phosphate office).” I always say that the profession of agriculture is difficult, and with the impact of climate change, it is a profession that is becoming even more difficult. Because we can no longer reproduce the same technical path as in previous years. ”
Agriculture in Morocco, between 11 and 18% of GDP
AgriEdge launched AquaEdge, a mobile application in the precision irrigation segment during the first quarter of 2021. To improve yields, it is not enough to control the agricultural seasons.
“When you tell a farmer to sow on a certain date, it is good to sow on the specified date, which optimizes the climatic conditions that we observe, but he must also have a quality seed drill. Because in the end, if he sows on the right date, but does not plant the seed at the right depth, we have solved a problem, but we have fallen into another problem, ”explains Hamza Rkha Chaham, founder and chairman of Sowit.
Agriculture in Morocco accounts for between 11 and 18% of GDP depending on the year and 40% of the working population lives off the agricultural sector. With regard to the future of the sector, difficulties in accessing financing and information are one of the obstacles to improving the returns for small farmers.
* ImpactLab has launched a program called Launchpad Agritech, with a call for applications from Moroccan start-ups from May 5 to June 16, 2021. It will select ten start-ups that have developed prototypes of innovative solutions for the agro-industry sector. They will then be accompanied for six weeks to expedite their solution.
ImpactLab is a regional innovation and start-up accelerator. Since 2014, it has accelerated the development of more than 170 start-ups in North and West Africa and supported more than twenty major business partners and public institutions in their innovation dynamics. It has two offices in Casablanca and Tunis and programs located in Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal and Benin.
** Agridata is a publisher, integrator of IT solutions intended 100% for the agricultural ecosystem. It has set itself the goal of helping agriculture become more profitable, more competitive and more respectful of the environment thanks to better use of data.
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