Conflicts in different parts of Africa are likely to worsen food insecurity if urgent solutions are not found, an expert has warned.
- •The continent is experiencing shifting weather patterns affecting food production, and imports to the continent are expected to hit Ksh90 billion by 2030.
- •According to William Mulehi, Principal- Intellecap Advisory Services, many farmers across the continent are looking up to the emerging technologies in food production.
- •Conflicts on the continent, from the Sahel to Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are, however, disrupting ease of movement and increasing the risk of low adoption of new technologies.
“Different organizations we have worked with in West, Central and East Africa are now introducing smart farming to farmers where they are introducing gadgets that are capable of detecting rain patterns and give accurate feedback, this comes in handy during this era of global warming,” Mulehi said in a recent interview withThe Kenyan Wall Street
“The technologies are capital intensive and needs close monitoring by experts for farmers to grasp the concept. Conflicts in different parts of the continent make it difficult for experts to easily move across the borders to roll out mass adoption, this we fear is likely to affect food production in the coming years making the continent to further rely on food from other regions of the world,” he added.
According to Mullehi, there is growing uptake of smart-farming in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda and some countries in West Africa calling on enterpreneurs in the continent to tap capital from foreign investors looking to support such solutions. He spoke ahead of 12th Sankalp Africa Summit, scheduled for February 26-27, 2025 where over 1,500 global leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs will gather in Nairobi.
The summit will spotlight investment, innovation, and sustainability, aiming to unlock millions of dollars in funding for African startups through live deal rooms, pitching sessions, and investor matchmaking.
