Drones may boost Ethiopia exports

A former JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst is using drones and satellites to boost Ethiopia’s agricultural exports and improve food security in a nation once synonymous with famine.

Africa’s second most populous country still struggles to feed itself. But now the government’s Agriculture Transformation Agency, headed by Khalid Bomba, is aiming for widespread commercial farming and food security in 20 years. It’s modeling itself on initiatives in South Korea and Taiwan.

“The reason Ethiopia’s agricultural sector has not developed is because we have not leveraged technology,” said Bomba, 51, who spent a decade at JPMorgan on Wall Street and in London and later worked at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation developing and managing grants in the agriculture sector.

In the country of 108 million people agriculture accounts for 45% of the economy, 80% of employment and three quarters of total export earnings. Subsistence farming, small plots and limited access to fertilizer means that most farmers struggle.

Coffee, which originated in Ethiopia, and oilseeds are the country’s two main exports, earning the country $1.2 billion in the year ending July 7, 2019. In addition to being Africa’s largest coffee producer, the country also exports roses and vegetables.

“The biggest challenge Ethiopia faces now is a very large and growing population, which will keep increasing the demand for food and jobs,” said Nega Wubeneh, adviser at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. “Despite the improvements in the productivity of crops, the yields are still below global averages and agronomic potential.”

Bomba’s agency uses satellite soil mapping, toll-free numbers, drones and an inhouse consultancy to help farmers.

Potential buyers are able to zoom in on a map of Ethiopia, search for a farm by area and commodity, watch a drone video of the produce to assess its condition and call the farmers directly to purchase the crops. Small farmers have been clustered together so that they grow the same crop using the same methods.