Bizcommunity, 7 May 2020
The evolution of civilisation runs hand-in-glove with the earliest forays by our ancestors into agriculture. Simultaneously, the unfolding of early forms of agriculture brought primitive technology into people’s lives, while in today’s modern times, agriculture’s dependence on technology remains as strong as ever.
Rudie Raath, chief digital officer at Datacentrix, explains, “Agriculture encompasses the production of food, fibre, animal feed and other products through the growing and harvesting of plants and animals. It touches us in our daily lives more than we may realise. When we think of agriculture, we think of the so-called five Fs, being food, fabric, forestry, farming and flowers. In growing, nurturing, harvesting and processing agricultural products, technology is a crucial component from the beginning of the process to the end.“
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), digitalisation in agriculture could be a game-changer in boosting productivity, profitability and resilience to climate change. There has been significant growth in digitalisation for agriculture over the last 10 years, even though such progress has been slow in serving the many smallholders that produce much of Africa’s agricultural output.