Digital media can transform agriculture in Nigeria
• Country ready for AI revolution, says expert
DESPITE the huge mobile penetration in Nigeria, the country has barely utilised social media to improve the agricultural sector. This was the view of the Founder, X-ray Farms Consulting, Africanfarmer Mogaji, yesterday, at the ongoing Social Media Week (SMW).
Speaking at the session, ‘Technology and Agribusiness: ‘Why the future of farming is not farming’, Mogaji said because many stories were untold, opportunities were not seen, connections were not made and partnerships were not formed.
According to him, despite the numerous opportunities Internet created, a huge vacuum still exist in terms of information about the sector available to investors and entrepreneurs in the industry, saying, “this information is not privy to the largesse, thus the reason for the huge loss of funds by agric entrepreneurs”.
Narrating his experience, Mogaji, a former cofounder of Farmcrowdy, said: “In my case, I had been running Farmcrowdy offline for eight years and had lost over N40 million, however, when I partnered with Akumah (cofounder of Farmcrowdy), who is adept in digital marketing and the technology space, the story drastically changed. There was an upward twist as there were accolades of several recognition and achievements in one year running into dollars.”
Corroborating him, the Founder/chief Executive Officer, USAIFA, an agro-allied firm, Usman Ali Lawan, noted that digitisation has availed more opportunities, adding that technology and digital media can be used for data collation, data management and forecasting that can translate into revenue in the agric sector.
According to him, 80 per cent of Nigerians lose their investment based on misinformation and panic farming. There is a constant concern of panic farming that leads to loss of funds and dividends. Social media grants people platform to share information, however there remains authentication of such information.
“Agricultural practitioners should leverage on this channel to introduce the right practices, educate farmers and investors on good agricultural practices (GAP),” he said.
Speaking on other issues that inhibit development in the sector, he disclosed that lack of funding, poor policies, double taxation; among others limit the potential of the sector. “My success in agribusiness is because I equipped myself with the right knowledge, engaged practices that reduced cost of production and practiced bio-security measures.
“Also, other major factors are: post- harvest losses due to lack of processing infrastructure, post-harvest handling, logistics, therefore, 40 to 60 per cent of what we produce got lost.
Meanwhile, at the session on: ‘The closing gap between technology and humanity’, Managing Director, PHD Media, Johannesburg, Wayne Bishop, said Nigeria is ready for the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
For him, change is eminent and it is best to evolve and be abreast of it.
Bishop said the implication of this evolution will reflect on consumers as this technology would enable Nigerians to be more efficient, aiding people with explorations, agencies and marketing ,as media agencies will can gather data for improved services and experiences.
Speaking on the readiness of the Nigerian market for AI, Bishop noted that the country is a huge player considering its mobile penetration status.