UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
“In South Africa, GODAN collaborated with the University of Cape Town to co-design a suite of mobile accessible apps to support and improve the small-scale fisheries industry,” says Laperriere. “This included a free Abalobi Fisher downloadable app providing valuable information about the weather and climate from open sources, plus recording data about fishing practice and catch information relevant to the different areas across South Africa. “The fishermen demonstrated how the data received through the app identified the likes of wave height, so the fishermen knew when the right and safest time to catch and sell fish was, making processes more organised and efficient by cutting down paperwork and time, improving the economic aspects and improving their livelihoods.” AfO: What are your priorities for GODAN for the rest of 2019 and beyond?
AL: GODAN is constantly looking at ways to encourage and promote the sharing of open data on a global basis. Innovation is key to this and we are shifting our focus to ways in which the agricultural and farming landscapes can be changed for the better. Granted, this is not something that will be achieved overnight, but GODAN has earmarked 2019 as a crucial year in making great strides forward as we look to end world hunger.
As already touched upon, GODAN will be involved in a number of programmes and initiatives such as EURAKNOS in order to help strive this technological revolution. However, we will also be in attendance at key events and summits around the world in which we will be showcasing initiatives and advocating for further use of open data.
More fundamentally, we will continue to press towards the elimination of the ‘digital divide’, obstacles that still prevent African farmers, especially small farm holders, to benefit from the technical advances that until recently were limited to the large industrialised farms.
AfO: Are you optimistic for the future development of a productive, sustainable food production process in Africa?
AL: I will always be optimistic because that is one of the key ingredients for success. Africa has already been turning to open data to help improve and enhance a sustainable food production process model. Granted, it has a long way to go, but it has shown its success over time. The case studies in Ghana and South Africa have been testament to this development and what it has done for the countries economically has been instrumental, as many of these nations rely on food for trade and not just domestic use.
Africa is possibly the richest continent in terms of agriculture potential. Furthermore, we see across the continent a new generation of educated, innovative and passionate young entrepreneurs, eager to tap into this potential and drive their economies forward. These are the key ingredients to success: potential, talent, and eagerness to go forward. This is why Africa will succeed.
Governments are key in encouraging the use of open data, and Africa has had a history of governments being very resistant to such a vast access of information, but with the economic impact being the driving force, this could soon change. However, the role of the public and its many innovators will also be important as they hold the key which can ultimately unlock a number of opportunities. They can come from all over the globe and share information with one another at just the click of a button; this could help reach communities and businesses in far corners. Such communication can provide a platform for Africa to excel and as a result, flourish in the not too distant future.