ICTs for Agriculture in Africa - Assignment

ICT For Agriculture
In Africa

Table of Contents
TITLE: ............................................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION....................................................................................................1
1.1 Overview of Agriculture in Africa...................................................................................1
1.2 Overview of ICT for Agriculture.....................................................................................1
1.2 Research Question............................................................................................................3
1.3 Research Strategy and Methodology................................................................................4
1.4 Chapter Structure..............................................................................................................4
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.........................................................................................5
2.1 Challenges of Agriculture in Africa.................................................................................5
2.2 Agricultural Development in Africa.................................................................................8
2.3 ICT Interventions in Agriculture....................................................................................10
2.2 Solutions to Issues Faced by Smallholder Farmers in Africa in Relation to ICT..........12
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................15
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS.................................................................................21
Data analysis.........................................................................................................................21
Results on the Basis of Primary Data...................................................................................21
Results on the Basis of Secondary Data...............................................................................28
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION......................................................................................................33
5.1 Conclusions....................................................................................................................33
5.2 Recommendations..........................................................................................................33
5.3 Reflection.......................................................................................................................34
5.4 Anticipated Limitations..................................................................................................35
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................36

TITLE:
ICT FOR AGRICULTURE IN AFRICA
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Overview of Agriculture in Africa
In Africa, agriculture is the largest economic sector in most countries and contributing
approximately 15% of total Gross Domestic Product on average. More than a half of labor force
work in agricultural sector and the sector is an engine for economic growth (OECD and FAO,
2016). However, the growth in the agricultural sector has been sluggish, farmers remain on low
incomes and live in poverty especially in rural areas in Africa (Munyua, 2007).
The poor agricultural performance in Africa has been stagnated the increase of farmer
income and the poverty reduction in rural areas. The poor performance is caused by several
factors such as inadequate access to markets, unfair market conditions, inadequate access to
advanced technologies, and high production and transport costs (Campaigne and Rausch, 2010).
Among these problems, inadequate market access is a particularly serious issue of
causing the low returns on agriculture produce of smallholder farmers in Africa. Due to the
limited access to market, farmers are exploited by middlemen or intermediaries with adequate
market information and receive low sales of agricultural products (Roy, 2012). Thus, the
improvement of access to market information is critically important to increase the income of
farmers and it will lead to poverty reduction in Africa. The reliable market information supports
farmers to decide on to whom, where, and when to sell their products and cultivation plan
(Magesa et al., 2014).
1.2 Overview of ICT for Agriculture
Information and communications technology (ICT) is any device, tool, or application
which permits the collection, processing, storage or exchange of data. The affordability,
accessibility, and adaptability of ICT have been increased dramatically in the last decades.
Today, ICT is available not only for people in developed countries but also smallholder farmers
living rural areas in Africa (World Bank, 2017).
In agriculture, ICT can be used in many areas to improve the agricultural performance
such as market access, agricultural extension and advisory services, and financial inclusion. ICT
has the ability to link farmers with consumers and intermediaries; to collect and share timely and
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accurate data on markets, prices, inputs and weather; to disseminate agricultural knowledge to
farmers; to provide information to research and development institutions, and so on. The areas in
agriculture where ICT plays an important role are summarized in Figure 1 (FAO, 2017).
Figure 1: Role of ICT in agriculture
Source: Adapted from FAO and ITU (2016)
There are already a number of cases about the successful use of ICT in agriculture in
Africa where digital technology has strengthened the connections among agricultural
stakeholders. For instance, farmers purchase inputs from suppliers and sell products to buyers
more efficiently by using mobile applications and also farmers get technical advice from
extension agents through interactive voice response which is an automated telephony system
(Miller et al., 2013).
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From the areas illustrated in Figure 1, this dissertation will focus on ICT market
information services because, as noted, inadequate access to markets is the critical issue of
farmers in Africa. The farmers tend to make non optimal choices in an adverse economic
situation due to the poor function of the market and the limited availability of market
information.
To address this problem, ICT can be a solution to amplify the market information held by
farmers and bridge the knowledge and information gaps between farmers and other agricultural
stakeholders. Better access to information facilitates the optimal decision making of farmers. The
farmers are able to make decision based on the information about, which crops to cultivate, when
to cultivate, seed and harvest, how much to retain for consumption, to sell for market, and to
store (FAO, 2017).
In addition, ICT intervention will also increase the knowledge of farmers to understand
markets, for example, excess demand creating more profitable opportunities to sell or excess
supply leading to cheaper deals. The use of mobile has potential to increase the efficiency of
markets and enables farmers to plan production and investments better based on market
information (FAO and ITU, 2016). One of the examples is the delivery of price information by
short message service (SMS). In Uganda, the dissemination of price information through mobile
has increased the knowledge of farmers and the income of maize farmers by 15% (Svensson and
Yanagizawa, 2009).
Knowledge Gaps
Addressing and overcoming the market failures and issues faced by the small holders Sub
Saharan farmers in Africa was the main area of concern in this research project. Knowledge
Gaps relates to the difference in between the actual knowledge about an topic to an individual
and the reality because there exists a gap in real information and the existing knowledge that an
individual have. In the following research, this issue is a new issue which has been addressed
which will help in increasing the knowledge of both the researcher as well as of the research.
1.2 Research Question
A research question is a topic or statement to be examined by research and it is the fundamental
core of the research (Saunders et al., 2016).
The research question of the dissertation is:
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To what extent can ICT address the problems of African smallholder farmers in terms of
profit and productivity on agriculture?
To answer the research question, the two sub-questions will be examined.
1. What are the problems of smallholder farmers in Africa?
2. What kinds of ICT solutions can address the problems of smallholder farmers in Africa?
1.3 Research Strategy and Methodology
1.3.1 Research Strategy
Since the research uses the existing frameworks and tests them in the case of smallholder farmers
in Africa, the research approach would be deductive approach (Saunders et al., 2016).
1.3.2 Research Methodology
In the dissertation research, the qualitative method which deals with textual data and the
individual perceptions which form particular social phenomena, is used to answer the research
question (Robson, 2011). Since the research question is concerned with individual perceptions of
farmers about the agricultural market information failure and possible ICT solutions, the
qualitative method will be applied. The research will be conducted by reanalyzing secondary
data from academic literature and reports of international organizations.
1.4 Chapter Structure
This section will present the brief explanation of the dissertation chapters which are introduction,
literature review, methodology, findings, and conclusion.
Chapter 1: Introduction: This chapter covers the background of the research, the overview and
problems of agriculture in Africa, and ICT interventions for agriculture. The problematic
situation of farmers and the use of ICT for addressing the problems in agriculture are illustrated
here. In the latter part, the knowledge gaps and the research question are presented. The
summary of research methodology and strategy are also covered in the end of first chapter.
Chapter 2: Literature Review: The literature about problems of smallholder farmers in Africa
and ICT interventions to improve their revenue will be reviewed in this chapter. This review
provides the previous findings of the research based on the academic journals and reports of
international institutions such as World bank, FAO and USAID. The review summarises the
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problems of African smallholder farmers and also different types of ICT solutions to addressing
these problems.
Chapter 3: Methodology: The details of qualitative methods of reanalysis of literature, the data
collection method and deductive approach applied to answer the research question are indicated
in this chapter. In the latter part, the explanation of theory and conceptual framework and the
way of applying them for analysis are also presented.
Chapter 4: Findings: The result of data collection and data analysis is illustrated in this chapter.
This chapter provides the evidence of ICT interventions addressing the problem of smallholder
farmers in Africa. The challenges of these interventions and the discussion about the findings
from the research also be covered in the latter part.
Chapter 5: Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the previous chapters and highlight the key
findings from the research. It also refers to the limitation of the research due to the data
collection and recommendations for future research in the field.
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Challenges of Agriculture in Africa
2.1.1 Internal and External Issues of Smallholder Farmers
Smallholder farmers in Africa face major challenges such as lack of infrastructure, lack
of access to finance, lack of access to mechanization, poor access to land, poor transport
logistics, poor extension and research support services, and limited access to markets. According
to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (1986), common challenges facing smallholder
farmers in rural areas in Africa can be divided into two categories, internal and external issues.
Internal issues are the constraints which affect the ability of farmers to operate agriculture
efficiently. In general, the farmers have some control to overcome such issues. These issues are
lack of skills, knowledge and education, shortage of labour, liquidity problems, and social factors
which in some instances imped effective management of resources. If the farmers are able to
remove these issues, they can allocate resources more efficient economically (Baloyi, 2010).
External issues are over the control of farmers since these come from the broader
agricultural environment. These issues include natural risks to agricultural activities such as
restrictive administrative and social structures, poor policies and legislation, poor institutional
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and infrastructural support, limited availability of inputs, credit, mechanization, and marketing
services, and land tenure problem (Baloyi, 2010).
2.1.2 Marketing Constraints of Smallholder Farmers
This section identifies key constraints facing smallholder farmers in Africa, such as lack
of physical infrastructure, lack of markets, and high transaction costs. It is difficult for
smallholder farmers find to compete in the new market environment due to poor access to
markets and lack of market information (Heinemann, 2002). The section below discusses the
common marketing constraint of smallholder farmers in Africa.
1) Lack of skills
Some of the smallholder farmers in Africa are illiterate, with poor technological skills.
Poor skills of farmers are obstacles to access formal institutional services improving
technological knowledge (World Bank, 2007). Most of the farmers don’t have adequate financial
and marketing skills. Due to the lack of production knowledge, the farmers are unable to produce
high quality products which meet the quality standard set by markets.
2) Poor access to production resources
Land, labor and capital are inevitable production resources for agriculture. Due to the
poor access to these recourses, smallholder farmers face challenges of production in terms of the
quantity and quality of products and lose business opportunities in agricultural markets (Bienabe
and et al., 2004). Insufficient access to production resources affects the inconsistent production
of farmers.
3) High transaction costs
Transaction costs are the costs of information, coordination, negotiation and execution of
contracts. In Africa, these transaction costs are high because the infrastructure and
communication networks are poor especially in rural areas (D’Hease and Kirsten, 2003). Since
smallholder farmers are located in rural areas, the lucrative markets are far away from the
farmer’s location. As a result of long distance to the market, with poor infrastructure and access
to resources and information, the transaction costs are high in Africa. Due to the high transaction
costs, it is difficult for farmers to compete in lucrative markets (Kherallah and Kirsten, 2000).
4) Lack of agricultural infrastructure
Most of the smallholder farmers in Africa don’t have access agricultural infrastructure
such as storage to maintain their products fresh after harvest. Since the buyers in the markets
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require the products with high quality, lack of access to storage or processing facilities constrains
high-quality production of farmers. The access to these facilities increases the flexibility in
products sales and bargaining power of farmers (Bienabe and et al., 2004).
5) Lack and asymmetry of market information
Smallholder farmers in rural areas have limited market information. It is costly to obtain
the information through contact with agricultural stakeholders, but the accuracy of the
information is not certified (Bienabe et al., 2004). Smallholder farmers don’t have adequate
market information about prices of products, the best timings and places to sell the products,
quality requirements of products and potential buyers. On the other hand, the buyers in the
markets have a lot of market information so they tend to exploit from farmers by taking
advantage of asymmetry of information. Access to market information is critical for farmers to
increase their profits from their production.
6) Low quantity and quality products
Due to the limited access to production resources, such as land, water and capital, most of
the smallholder farmers produce low quantity of products with poor quality. As a result, their
products are sometimes neglected by buyers in the markets.
Increasing demand to high quality products and concern about food safety make more
difficult for farmers to produce these market requirements (Baloyi, 2010).
7) Inconsistency of production
Studies show that smallholder farmers in Africa supply products to markets
inconsistently. They are inconsistent in production and supplying products to fresh markets and
agricultural processing markets. According to Louw et al. (2004), most farmers cannot meet
consistent market demand because they are only able to supply products to markets for two or
three months during the year.
For this reason, not only buyers in the markets but also supermarkets are reluctant to buy
products from smallholder farmers.
8) Lack of transportation
Some of the smallholder farmers lack of access to transportation to deliver their products
to the markets. Transportation issues cause late delivery and quality loss of products. As a result,
the market price for products become lower prices so that the transportation problem is noted as
one of the biggest challenges of farmers (Louw et al., 2004).
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9) Lack of markets in rural areas
In rural areas in Africa, there are no formal fresh product markets or agricultural
processing markets. Farmers in rural areas are compelled to sell their products to local
communities in these areas with lower prices, or to deliver their products to markets in towns
with high cost (Baloyi, 2010).
10) Low bargaining power
Smallholder farmers have low bargaining power because they have limited access to
market information and financial markets. Low bargaining power of farmers lead to adverse
transaction for them and they obtain only a small profit from their sales. The bargaining power of
cotton and oil-palm farmers in West Africa is especially low since the number of buyers in the
markets are few (Bienabe et al., 2004).
2.2 Agricultural Development in Africa
Agricultural development is a crucial for Africa countries since the agricultural sector is
an important source of employment and income. A number of policies and strategies of
government are targeted to transform agriculture in Africa by including smallholder farmers in
local and international value chains (Badiane and McMillan, 2015). This is a process associated
with improving access to market, aligning worldview of farmers with market orientation, and
bridging agricultural information and knowledge gaps (Yonazi et al., 2012).
One of the key aspects of agriculture development in Africa is the shift from agricultural
practices based on traditional local production and marketing customs (i.e. “smallholder” logic)
to farming as a business and integrates smallholder farmers into international markets (i.e.
“value-chain” logic). To uplift smallholder famers’ practices from “smallholder” logic to “value-
chain” logic, many projects have been done by government and international organizations. The
key element of the transition is production and marketing practices based on information and
knowledge (Miller et al., 2013; Yonazi et al., 2012).
The “smallholder” logic frames agriculture as inseparable from the rural way of living
and social culture of farmers. Traditional agricultural practices of smallholder farmers lead to the
primitive nature of production. For example, farmers use recycled seeds and fertilizers instead of
verified seeds and inorganic fertilizers. Adoption of advanced practices still remains low because
of the high cost of inputs (Ekekwe, 2017). In addition, the quality and quantity of agricultural
products are difficult to be verified due to the lack of unified production standards and
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measurement units. These factors constrain to advance agriculture in Africa toward “value-
chain” logic (Mukute and Lotz‐Sisitka, 2012).
The exercise of formal governance and the integration of normative practices into value
chains are complicated because transactions of agricultural products are personalized, cash‐
based, and controlled by informal institutions (Fafchamps, 2003). As a result, “smallholder”
logic contributes to heterogeneity and inconsistent quality of farming produce, and personalized
transaction of products without formal standards (Noman et al., 2012).
Another factor preventing the transition to “value-chain” logic is the lack of reliable and
relevant information on production and marketing. Informal networks, oral communication, and
in-person channels are the major interaction patterns within “smallholder” logic. (Courtois and
Subervie, 2014). Although information technologies are becoming more available, they are
mostly used for non-agricultural related purposes. Smallholder farmers still rely heavily on
legacy technology such as radio and television to access to agricultural information (Burrell and
Oreglia, 2013).
In contrast to the “smallholder” logic, the “value‐chain” logic frames agriculture as a
business and the logic is led by economic theory that persons make logical decisions based on
cost and benefit by market rationality. Relationships and interactions among agricultural
stakeholders are governed by legal norms and formal contracts rather than oral and informal
agreements (Miller et al., 2013). The “value-chain” logic is consisted with policies and strategies
for strengthening value chains and is widely understood as the way to develop the agricultural
sector in Africa (Webber and Labaste, 2010). Based on this logic, the government and
international organizations have launched initiatives for value chain development by leveraging
the potential of contemporary technologies to facilitate the integration of smallholder farmers
into local and international value chains (Armstrong et al., 2011).
The summary of differences between “smallholder” logic and “value-chain” logic is
shown at Table 1. The table indicates the comparison of the two logics from 7 dimensions;
framing, relational networks, dominant interaction pattern, locus of practice, governance,
transactions, and communication patterns and technologies.
Table 1: Comparison between Smallholder logic and Value-chain logic
Elements Smallholder logic Value-chain logic
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Framing Bottom‐up, rural way of life,
smallholder practices
Top‐down, policy‐driven, “agriculture as
a business”
Relational
networks
Interpersonal Business contacts
Dominant
interaction pattern
In‐person, oral, radio‐based Text‐based: documents and technologies
Locus of practice Unsophisticated, production
of variable quality
Certifiable, knowledge and information
intensive production
Governance Lack of measurement
transparency, lack of
standardization, indigenous
institutions
Regulatory norms (e.g. measurement
units and standards), legal contracts
Transactions Informal market transactions,
informal brokerage
Formal exchanges, market facilitation
services
Communication
patterns and
technologies
Largely legacy technology,
informal and formal in‐
person channels, oral‐based
and egalitarian
Largely contemporary technology,
reliance on written texts and documents
Source: developed from Karanasios and Slavova (2019).
2.3 ICT Interventions in Agriculture
According to Edda Tandi Lwoga, Raphael Zozimus Sangeda, 2018, Information and
Communication Technology have greatly influenced on agricultural conditions in Africa. The
implementation ICT in the agriculture of Africa was a great idea but there were also many
problems which the agriculture will face before the implementation of this processes.
Information and Communication Technology stresses on the role of unified communications and
the integration of telecommunications, computers and many other software. In Africa, there is an
increased momentum in order to encourage the participation of youths in agriculture in Africa
(Duncombe, 2016). The main concern behind the implementation of Information and
Communication Technology in the agriculture of Africa is related to the hunger and poverty
faced by the country due to low involvement of people in farming and agricultural related
activities. People were moving from one place to another such as from the rural areas to the
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urban areas in the search of jobs (Mohanraj, Ashokumar and Naren, 2016). The another reason
was also related to that people were not interested in living in the rural areas as they were not
developed much and also they do not contain much services which are available in the urban
areas itself. So due to the increased migration of people from the rural areas to the urban areas,
the number of people involved in the farming and agricultural activities goes on decreasing and it
become impossible for the remaining people to fulfil the needs and demands of the people living
in the country (Aker, Ghosh and Burrell, 2016). Reduction in the people in the agricultural
activities was also an issue which arise because of lack of proper equipments and support from
the government in order to perform the activities in a proper way and with the passing of time,
the number of people involved in farming activities goes on diminishing and the situation of food
crisis came into existence due to which people suffered from hunger and many diseases.
So in order to eradicate this problem, in a meeting it was decided that the implementation
of ICT in Agriculture in Africa so that the reduction made in the number of farmers in country.
So with the help of implementing new technologies in agricultural activities in Africa, it has been
possible to make rise the number of farmers and youths towards farming and other agricultural
activities from the growth and development of this sector. But there were also some issues which
were faced by the country in the implementation of ICT in Africa (Deichmann, Goyal and
Mishra, 2016). It was relate to the increasing interventions of the investment to be made in more
intensified areas which could provide the country with competitive advantage. This
implementation was done in order to provide the farmers with the improved ways of farming so
that they could produce more effectively and easily the crops and the issues faced by the country
such as hunger and poverty could be reduced (Donovan, 2017). The issues were related to the
lack of knowledge of farmers in the implementation of these technologies in the farming and
agricultural activities. The use of this technology is different from that of their old ways of
working in which the use of ICT is not done (Barrett and Slavova, 2017).
Another reason was related to low availability of farmers in the country which was the
main issues faced by the country at the time of implementation this technology. As such people
moved from one place to another and from the rural areas to the urban areas this created low
availability of farmers and it was not possible to fulfil the needs and demands of the people of
country in relation to the problems faced by them (Tata and McNamara, 2018). However, the
implementation of ICT was done African Agriculture but it also lead to upcoming of various
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issues which made the situation more difficult. The farmers were not known with the use of new
technology that has been implemented by the government and also about their uses. The
deficiency of Human Capital in the country impacted upon the implementation of this
technology in negative way. As farmers do not have proper skills and abilities, knowledge and
use of equipments and ways of working in accordance with new technology (Barrett and et. al.,
2017).
In war torn areas also, this implementation of technology was impacted in negative way
creating problems for the farmers as well as government because communication channels were
destroyed and also the potential chances of foreign direct investment in the country were also
eradicated because of negative environment in the world. Due to the wars and conflict effected
areas, Africa do not have proper and appropriate amount of economic resources in order to
implement successfully ICT in the country to foster the speed of growth and development in this
sector. It also lead to loss of capital base, economic assets such as basic infrastructure and
production equipment and technologies in the country (Westermann and et. al., 2018).
So the implementation of ICT in Africa was not suffering from any one intervention but
there were also many others which were faced by Africa impacting negatively in the livelihood,
economic conditions, social relations, political stability and many more factors in negative way.
This also impacted upon different parts of Africa in different ways such as somewhere it caused
economic deficiency and at some place, the social conflicts which worsened the overall condition
of the country and intervened in the implementation of ICT in the country (Karanasios and
Slavova, 2018).
2.2 Solutions to Issues Faced by Smallholder Farmers in Africa in Relation to ICT
According to Ndubuisi Ekekwe, 2017, farmers in Africa were dealing with still
unfavourable conditions. But with the help of an important role played by ICT in order to
address the issues faced in the implementation of ICT Technology in the country. There were
many associations and organisations which were formed by the government so that they could
educate farmers in relation to the use of ICT technology so that production of crops and
improvement in the farming conditions or ways of working could be made. For example, the use
of mobile technology and applications increased with the help of which solution to different
problems and queries were provided to the farmers in order to make them to learn and able to
implement new ways of working in the farming activities and achieve higher productivity level
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(Cooper, 2019). Many awareness programs were also being developed by the country to provide
the farmers with the importance of new ways of working and implementation of this technology
in farming. As with the help of this technology, it will be possible to get better outcomes and
achieve higher level of efficiency in work, additionally, it will also remove the starvation and
deaths of people due to hunger (Oruru and Njeru, 2016). It will also help in improving the skills
and abilities of people working in farming activities so that they could adopt the new ways of
working easily and make their contribution in the growth, development and improvement in the
economic condition of the country.
In the Food and Agricultural Sector as well, there has been a great contribution made by
the ICT Companies for the growth and development of Agricultural Sector in Africa such as
manufacturing of large machineries which are used in the agricultural activities and made the
work easier for the farmers (Kilelu, Klerkx and Leeuwis, 2017). Not only the big industries in
ICT but also the small and medium ones were contribution to the extent to which they can such
as providing guidance and support to the farmers in relation to crop rotation and many more
things which could help in the improvement in productivity and to also maintain the fertility
level of the soil.
According to Ezra Misaki, Mikko Apiola, Silvia Gaiani and Matti Tedre, 2018, the
inclusion of supermarkets and agricultural product buyers engaged in the food production chain
with the help of ICT, providing support to farmers as ICT has also been used by farmers
cooperatives, civil society, government bodies, multinational organisations and many more so
that they could provide the right information to farmers in relation to many aspects related to
farming such as rules and regulations, policies of government and guidelines for application of
ICT in their agriculture processes. ICT also informed the farmers about the farming life cycle
and educate them about their use to which they were unknown earlier (Altieri, 2018). Pre
cultivation which means to say about prior planning in relation to future activities related to
farming such as crop selection, land selection, calender definition and credit sources, etc. are
included for this purpose with the help of which it becomes easier for farmers to make their work
easier and removes the chances of future deviations in the process of farming. With the help of
this, it also become possible for them to get desired and best productivity from their work as
compared to earlier work.
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According to HamidEl Bilali, Mohammad Sadegh Allahyari, 2018, ICT do also have
many potential benefits which it can provide to the agricultural and food sector for its growth and
development. As with the help of this technology, it is possible to make improvement in the agri-
food systems by increasing the efficiency, enhancing transparency and traceability, network
creation in between food chain sectors. As ICT is also continuously working on the improvement
to be made in the working agricultural efficiency of the country such as by reducing use of
pesticides, fertilizers, energy and water which are important for the proper growth and
development of the crops.
(Source: Target Oriented Database, 2017)
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Illustration1 1: Target Oriented Database,2017

The target oriented database provides more knowledge, information and support to the
farmers is relation to various aspects with the help of which it will be possible for farmers to
make improvements in their condition, their way of working (Minot, 2018). It will help the
farmers in knowing about the pricing information such as market availability, retention rate,
price rate and many more. In addition to this, demand information provides the farmers with the
information related to crop variety, land use, soil health, soil fertility, irrigation and many more
purposes. Information access related to farming queries such as with the help of dedicated
websites, SMS, calls, care agents and many more and last the production and agricultural
extensions also helps the farmers in getting adequate amount of funds, credit facilities, awareness
about crops, pest and disease control and many more (Protopop and Shanoyan, 2016).
With the help of implementing big data and data analytics in farming it has become
possible to make improvements in the farming activities in Africa. It can also be said as
AgInformatics systems whose investment could bring new change in the farming activities of
Africa. An example which had helped in the improvement in agricultural activities in Africa was
the Esoko Ghana Commodity Index which is a rural communication platform which publishes
about the cash market price index composed on physical commodities (Misaki and et. al., 2018).
This was the mFarmer Initiative which has been carried out by small farmers in order to provide
support and help to small farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa. With the help of some programs and
initiatives, it could be made possible to help the farmers in getting know with the needed
improvements to be made in the working processes of the farmers so that they could perform in a
more better way their farming activities. Farmers should be provided with special facilities such
as information and solution related to farming queries with the help of which the issues and
problems faced by farmers in relation to farming could be solved and better efficiency could be
achieved by farmers in farming and providing the farmers with knowledge and relative
information to farming (Moock, 2019).
CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is important part of dissertation which will be applied with the
purpose of collecting accurate information and data about current study. Research methodology
is useful process which will be followed by researcher with aim of making business decision. In
this section different number of methods have been included which will assist an investigator by
providing reliable information regarding the importance of information and communication
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technology for Agriculture in Africa. There are some important and useful research methods
which are determined as under:
Research Philosophy: It is important methodology of research which have been divided
into section which is interpretivisim and positivism. Both are essential type of philosophy but
according to the current topic, interpretivisim philosophy will be followed (Kumar, 2019). As it
will support in analysing the information in effective manner which will further outputs in
arriving at valid conclusion. With the help of this philosophy, it will be possible to analyse and
provide the right information about the issues and solutions faced by farmers in ICT in Africa.
Research Approach: This part of research methodology is basically based on inductive
and deductive approach. Both are consider effective type of research approach but according to
the current study, deductive research approach will be used (Silverman, 2016). Main reason
behind selecting deductive approach as this method take less time and has less expensive. It will
assist in driving economic theories which will further assist an investigator by providing accurate
data about the current study. As with the help of this approach, proper information about the
condition of farmers and the deep analysis of the issues such as their reasons and ways to
overcome the issues in relation to ICT will be easily known.
Research Strategy: It is essential type of methodology which have different strategies
such as case study, survey, qualitative questions, observation etc. All these are effective types of
research strategies but according to the current research qualitative questions will be used. As
this strategy will support an investigator or scholar by giving reliable as well as valid information
about the effectiveness of information and communication technology for agriculture within
Africa. The preparation of Qualitative Questionnaire will be done in order to get proper
information and the views of people of Africa for the bad condition, scarcity of agricultural
products and many problems and solutions to ICT Interventions faced by African Farmers. With
the help of this questionnaire, possible conclusions will be drawn and recommendations will be
made for the research project.
Research Choice: There are two options available for researcher such as qualitative and
quantitative research. Both are effective choice for investigator to select and perform each
activities of study in systematic manner (Bresler and Stake, 2017). Under qualitative research,
data will be collected in form of quality whereas in case of quantitative research, information
will be collected in form of hard facts, numbers etc. Both are essential choice of research but for
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investigating impact of ICT for agriculture, qualitative research will be used. As it will help an
investigator in carrying out of investigation in systematic manner as compare to qualitative
research. With the help of this research method, it will be possible to present and sequential
information for the readers to carry out the research in an appropriate manner.
Time Horizon: It is another important component of research which will help an
investigator to examine starting and ending time duration for completion of research effectively.
For this, Gantt chart will be used as a type of time horizon. As it will support an investigation in
completion of research activities within given time duration. Gantt Chart will be used in the
following research project so as it specify the time period required in the completion of different
activities to be completed in the project. It refers to the useful graphical tool which shows the
completion of different activities to be carried out in project within the specified period of time.
In order to make the completion of this research, the use of Gantt Chart is done and the time
specified for the completion of this research is 105 days. In other words, it is also the process of
breaking down different activities which are performed in a project and presented over the chart.
As there are different phases and tasks covered in the following research project related to the
situation of smallholder farmers in Africa so information about different aspects are covered in
this research and for which proper time is managed for different tasks in the research which has
been presented as under:
17

Techniques, Procedures and Research Instruments: It is another important section of
methodology which is totally based on questionnaire (Alvesson and Sköldberg, 2017).
18

Questionnaire is more effective and useful technique, procedures and instrument which will be
applied by researcher in order to accumulate actual and valuable data about the significance of
ICT for agriculture. As it will also essential for them to complete research in ethical and
systematic way and will make it easier to draw conclusion and recommendations from the data
acquired with the help of questionnaire.
Data Sources: There are two type of methods which will be applied by researcher in
order to analysis different sources for collection of information in appropriate manner. Primary
and secondary are consider two important type of data source (Ledford and Gast, 2018). Under
primary research, questionnaire will be made. As this instrument will help a scholar by providing
valid and relatable data about the significance of ICT for agriculture in Africa. There is also a
secondary source which is books, magazines, articles etc. All these are useful sources for
researcher to follow and collect valuable and in-depth data regarding the current topic. As with
the help of both the sources, it will be possible to know about different aspects of the research
such as production done by the farmers before and after the implementation of ICT in African
Agriculture. So with the help of secondary sources such as online and by making use of books
and journals, it will be possible to present the data related to research in order to make it reliable
and able to cover all the aspects so that readers could get the useful information. With the help of
primary sources such as Questionnaire, the views of people will also be presented as what people
thinks off about the condition of farmers in Africa and initiatives taken by government in order
to improve the overall condition of farmers as well as to impact positively on the production of
agricultural products in the country.
Data Analysis: It is another essential part of research methodology which will be
completed with the application of thematic analysis (Quinlan and et. al., 2019). For this part of
methodology, different themes will be created which will assist in executing investigation in
effective or systematic way. The themes or patterns will be developed on each research questions
as this will support the scholar or researcher in minutely examining the response.
Research Design: The whole activities of research is mainly depend on research design
which is applied by researcher for examining the impact. This part of research methodology
basically classified into three types which is exploratory, descriptive and experimental (Fletcher,
2017). These are major type of research design which would be applied for identifying impact. In
order to identifying impact of ICT for agriculture of Africa, descriptive design will be more
19

suitable and appropriate. As it will helps an investigator to drive valid conclusion and perform
each activities within given time duration. This design will help in providing evidences for the
statements and also their explanation in order to provide the reader with a clear knowledge about
what the researcher wants to conclude.
Research Sampling: It is most significant part of methodology because without this, a
researcher is not able in selection of sample size from total population. Research sampling
basically classified into two types which is probability and non-probability. Both types of
sampling are essential but according to the given topic or research, probability sampling will be
use. As this method helps investigator to select sample size on random basis (Kao and et. al.,
2016). One of the main intent behind selecting probability sampling is it not require large
number of resources and time of researcher. On the other side, there is non-probability sampling
which is not appropriate about the current investigation because it take maximum amount of
capital and not give appropriate results from respondents. This sampling method will also he
help in eradicating the chances of biasness from the research which may be possible in case of
any other method of sampling is chosen. So as to increase the reliability and validity of the
research, the use of this sampling method has been done. With the help of probability sampling,
40 respondents will be taken into consideration.
Research Reliability and Validity: It is most effective section of investigation which is
totally depend on validity and reliability of information. It is possible with the use of
questionnaire (Wiek and Lang, 2016). Along with this, research reliability is mainly based on the
development of test instrument which is questionnaire. This instrument was revised in order to
manage the problems in questions that were difficult to known or not similarly known by the
participants in the pilot of questionnaire. Apart from this, questionnaire will also considered for
research validity as the data presented about the use of ICT in Africa is reliable or not.
Research Limitation: There are different issues or limitation which have been faced by
researcher at the period of performing each activities of investigation. For this research, time is
consider main limitation because topic is broad and for getting accurate response, sufficient time
period is needed by researcher (Colorafi and Evans, 2016). So in the entire it can be described
that time period is not sufficient for the entire study. Along with this, research limitation in this
dissertation may related to the formulation of research aims and objectives, formulation of data
collection sources, selection of proper number of sample size, lack of information or previous
20

studies in the research area etc. All these are major limitations which will directly influence on
researcher while carrying out study over the topic of ICT and its impact on agriculture in Africa.
Research Ethics: The ethics in research are of great concern for the researcher as it
impacts much on the completion of research. Research Ethics says that the completion of
research should be done in the way that it fulfils both the need of the researcher as well as the
user could also derive important information from the research such as the information which is
included in the research must be taken from a valid source and also there are some confidential
details which the researcher should not disclose, it is also a part of research ethics (Katsirikou
and Lin, 2017). The research should not have an information which impacts upon the completion
of the research such as the some wrong information which impacts upon the validity, reliability
and accuracy of the research and will not only impact upon this research but will also impact
upon the accuracy, reliability and validity of future research as well which will make use of data
of this research in order to complete their research. So the overall impact of these will be in
providing wrong information to the readers.
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND FINDINGS
Data analysis
Data analysis refers to the process through which collected information is presented in
systematic and relevant manner to get proper conclusion and recommendations. This section is
important because information has to be presented for completing research with appropriate
recommendations and conclusions. This investigation is based on ICT for Agriculture in Africa
so information is collected from stakeholders related with agriculture. Qualitative questionnaire
is used to analyse collected data . Under this data collection method, information is evaluated on
the basis of open ended questions. Collected information is evaluated and analysed on the basis
of brief overview of whole data collected from 40 stakeholders. Stakeholders includes
smallholder farmers, government, money lenders, agricultural advisors, small financial
institutions.
Results on the Basis of Primary Data
Q1. Do you have knowledge about different technologies which are used under ICT for
agriculture purpose?
Q2. Which ICT technique is most preferable for gaining knowledge about agriculture sector?
21

Q3. What are the benefits which small scale farmers are gaining with use of ICT technology?
Q4. Does there is any positive impact of using ICT techniques in agriculture. If yes Please
specify?
Q5. Is it important to conduct training sections for Sub Saharan farmers to make effective use of
ICT in agriculture?
Q6. What are the crucial sources that helps in successful implementation of ICT technology in
Africa for agricultural purposes?
Q7. What are the challenges faced by small scale farmers due to which ICT technology can not
implemented properly?
Q8. What are the ways through which challenges of ICT technology can be reduced?
Q9. Is there any contribution of government parties in implementing computer technology in
agriculture context? If yes, please specify.
Q10. Is there any requirement of motivation to Sub Saharan farmers in implement information
and communication technology techniques in agricultural segment?
Q11. What are the ways through which motivation of farmers is possible?
Q12. Which is the most effective dimension in which target oriented database helps the farmer
to improve the productivity and efficiency of agricultural activities?
Q13. What are the reasons due to which farmers prefers to migrate from rural areas to urban
areas?
Q14. Is there any impact on economic condition of Africa due to implementation of Information
and Communication technology in agriculture?
Q1. Do you have knowledge about different technologies which are used under ICT for
agriculture purpose?
From the above information collected from different stakeholders it is analysed that there are
some stakeholders who do not have knowledge about Information and communication
technology such as small holder farmers, money lenders, etc. While some have knowledge
about ICT technique, so it is easy to implement latest technology fore dealing with agriculture
issue arise in Africa. As majority of people have knowledge about it. So they can communicate
with framers and provide them knowledge with its benefits and advantages. This assist in
22

implementing new and latest technology and farmers can easily collect information about ways
to improve agricultural products. When framers are educated regarding new techniques, so they
want to implement and learn what assist in their occupation. This assist in social and economic
development of Africa.
Q2. Which ICT technique is most preferable for gaining knowledge about agriculture sector?
It has been analysed from the information collected from respondents that there are different
techniques under ICT i.e. use of internet, computer, mobile technology, self managed devices,
technical equipments, printers, tablets, big data analytics, scanner, websites, e- mail, SMS, etc.
With the help of these techniques it is clear that ICT technique can be implemented in Africa
with the help of different sources. It is crucial and relevant to understand these techniques, so
possible best implementation can be done. Out of these ICT techniques self managed
equipments and technical equipments are most preferable. Technical equipments are used to
analyse different agriculture activities such as farming, cropping, irrigation, etc. With the help
of it, farmers can performing daily activities in best and better manner. While self managed
equipments are best because it assist in performing different activities with less time and use of
machinery. When machinery is used agriculture purpose with understanding what is the
requirement and how it can be used. With the use of latest technology daily agriculture work
can be done with more improved and appropriate manner.
Q3. What are the benefits which small scale farmers are gaining with use of ICT technology?
From the information gathered from respondents, it has been analysed that ICT is beneficial for
performing agricultural activities properly with use of internet connection, mobile technology
and others machinery. There will improvement in crop production and crops does not get waste
because corrective actions can be taken from exerts views. There is proper training to framers
regarding saving and proper maintenance of crops. Farmers are able to generate their proper
income from selling agricultural products. When ICT techniques are used, then farmers have
complete knowledge about amount of water required for irrigation or frequency of irrigation,
crop rotation, use and quantitative of fertilizer and pesticides, ways of crop protection, etc.
Hence possibilities of getting positive outcome as agriculture crops are more. There is less
possibilities of damage of crops due to improper soil, irrigation, pesticides, etc. Hence Africa
23

will get more opportunities of growth through export of grains, etc.
Q4. Does there is any positive impact of using ICT techniques in agriculture. If yes Please
specify?
It has been evaluated from information collected from respondents that there is positive impact
on agricultural background of country. When small scale farmers will use new and latest
technology to enhance knowledge about ways to improve quality of crops and it is harvested
with proper outcome. With latest technology framers are able to join with associations which
are working in health and social care organisations. This makes them aware about different
issues which might arise while farming and proper ways to deal with it. Sometimes, there is
reduction in fertility of soil, then farmers can collect information from experts and in case of
any issue, they can solve it because of two way communication. There are many changes which
are taking place in agriculture field, so with use of ICT, knowledge can be enhanced about
crops, frequency of irrigation, type of pesticides and fertilizers, extra care which is required for
some special crops, etc.
Q5. Is it important to conduct training sections for Sub Saharan farmers to make effective
use of ICT in agriculture?
According to information collected, it is evaluated that majority of respondents favours for
training to farmers regarding use of ICT techniques because they do not have knowledge about
it and they can not implement it in routine work due to computer illiteracy. Hence it is clear that
training is important with the help of which farmers can get positive outcome. When they have
proper knowledge about computer techniques, then they prefers to learn about new. There is
requirement of motivation among farmers , through which they are ready to work with new
techniques. Training has to be provided from IT expert, so in case of any issue, it can be
resolved at that instance only. Sub Saharan farmers does not know how to use latest techniques,
so with training, they are able to improve their working style and get ways through which good
and proper crops can be harvested. This is not only beneficial for them and their family but this
is crucial for social and economic development of Africa as well.
Q6. What are the crucial sources required for successful implementing ICT technology in
rural areas of Africa for agricultural reasons?
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It is evaluated from the collected information that implementation of ICT requires some
resources such as internet connection, mobile or computer, technical advise, electricity,
wireless technologies, Global Positioning System (GPS), etc. Internet connection is important to
maintain connectivity with other people related with agricultural background. GPS can be used
to know location access and it is easy for small holder farmers to share their location and get
knowledge about weather, soil quality. Electricity is required for charging and running of new
techniques for getting proper outcome as good yield. Technical advise is crucial because experts
provides knowledge about different ways through which latest technology can be implemented.
In case of up-gradations in techniques, then new way to perform actions can be learned. So with
the help of different sources, it is easy to implement new technology and get positive outcome
with the help of it.
Q7. What are the challenges faced by small scale farmers due to which ICT technology can
not implemented properly?
It has been analysed from the information collected from different respondents that there are
different issues which farmers face in implementing ICT techniques such as lack of knowledge
about new and latest techniques, lack of practical knowledge, lack of advisory experts, rigidity
for using old techniques, improper internet connection, etc. Due to these techniques, it is affects
implementation of new technology and farmers are not ready to use it. When farmers are not
able to gain knowledge about computers, then they definitely feel issue in accepting ICT.
Training provided to farmers are theoretical and farmers face problem in implementing it, hence
individuals are not ready to work with it. In rural areas of Africa, there is lack of internet
connectivity, due to which it is not possible for farmers to communicate with experts on regular
basis.
Q8. What are the ways through which challenges of ICT technology can be reduced?
It is identified that there are different ways to deal with issues faced by farmers in implementing
ICT for getting positive outcome on productivity and profitability in terms of their farm yields
such as use of practical approaches to share information, planning for rural communication
platform i.e. EGCI, etc. It is analysed that expertise has to be hired for farmers through which
they get complete information about ICT techniques. There is requirement of planning for
providing practical information to farmers through which in case of any issue it can be resolved
25

at that instance. ECGI technique has to be used through which it is easy for farmers to get
knowledge about farming, crop rotation, proper harvesting time, frequency of irrigation, etc.
with the help of latest techniques and advisory services provided by experts.
Q9. Is there any contribution of government parties in implementing computer technology in
agriculture context? If yes, please specify.
It is evaluated from the information collected from respondents is that there is contribution of
government and political parties as well in implementing ICT in agriculture prospects. For
small scale farmers, implementing ICT is not important, they prefers to work with their old
techniques and satisfied with the yield they are getting. When there is pressure from political
parties on implementing new techniques related to agriculture then farmers are forced to use it
and perform actions as per new and latest rends. This assist in improving economic and social
growth of Africa and assist in dealing with epidemics and starvation in society. With
government interferences, it is easy to force farmers to learn about new techniques and
implement it in business operations.
Q10. Is there any requirement of motivation to Sub Saharan farmers in implement
information and communication technology techniques in agricultural segment?
It is evaluated that farmers needs to be motivated to perform farming activities in better and
effective manner. In Africa, farmers are migrating from rural areas to urban areas, so food crises
arise in society, hence with motivation of Sub Saharan Farmers is important. This assist them to
use proper equipments and take care about yield which is getting. There are different economic
and social problems which affects growth and development of South Africa. When farmers are
motivated, then they are willing to learn new techniques for farming purpose and ready to
accept changes which are taken place in society. When farmers are motivated, then they are
eager to learn new techniques and in case of any doubt ask query with expertise personnel. So
there is improvement in knowledge of local people residing in Africa and they are competitive
to people at international level.
Q11. What are the ways through which motivation of farmers is possible?
There are different ways through motivation of farmers in Africa can be done such as financial
and non- financial as per information collected from respondents. But most of the stakeholders
26

says financial motivation is better because as Sub Saharan Farmers are working at small level,
so they are satisfied with financial benefits. This includes selling of good yield to government
and getting appropriate amount of money. Government agencies contact farmers directly
because of their good quality grains. Motivation can be provided to farmers through training
session by providing them knowledge about ways to deal with international association, getting
good quality yield, proper use of pesticides and fertilizers, crop rotation, etc.
Q12. Which is the most effective dimension in which target oriented database helps the
farmer to improve the productivity and efficiency of agricultural activities?
According to majority of respondents, most effective dimension is ministry of agriculture and
research institutions which is best and appropriate. Under this dimension, there is proper role of
ministry of finance and research institutions who works for knowing use of land, crop rotation,
soil nutrients, different ways of irrigation, weather forecasting, etc. With the help of this
dimension, complete knowledge about factors which might affect crop and farming work.
Farmers are able to know abut estimation of weather which is important because it have direct
impact on crops of framers. So farmers get to know about changes which has to be taken for
dealing with adverse situation in Africa and economic and social condition of country can be
improved. People does not want migrate from rural to urban areas.
Q13. What are the reasons due to which farmers prefers to migrate from rural areas to urban
areas?
From the information collected from respondents, it is evaluated that farmers have different
reasons such as improper tools and techniques, lack of knowledge about harvesting of crops,
damage of crops, weather mis- balance, etc. due to which they wants to migrate from other
places. But main reasons is that farmers are not getting proper income with framing work and
they are not able to understand changes which are taking place in society regarding use of new
techniques. There is no sources of finance with affects farming activities in improper manner.
There is no proper earning for livelihood, hence they starting migrating from rural areas to
urban areas in search of proper source of income.
Q14. Is there any impact on economic condition of Africa due to implementation of
Information and Communication technology in agriculture?
27

It is analysed from data collected from candidates, that there is positive impact on economy of
Africa with use of ICT techniques for agriculture. Respondents have view that if knowledge of
farmers are improved with the help of latest technology so they are able to provide best yield
out of their farms. This improves trading in Africa within and outside the country. Farmers are
satisfied that they are able to earn proper amount of livelihood, then they are ready to work as
farmers. There is improvement in economic transactions of Africa because of export of
eatables. There is proper rotation of monetary terms in country and farmers have up to date
knowledge about new techniques which they can use for getting proper and best crops. With use
of latest ICT techniques, farmers are contact with expertise personnel and think what is best for
their farm and crops, what are the new and latest ways of irrigation and proper procedure for
harvesting.
Results on the Basis of Secondary Data
It has been founded that with the help of ICT implementation in Africa it has been made
possible to make improvement in the overall farming condition in Africa. However, in starting
there were many problems and issues which were faced by the smallholder farmers in Africa
knowing and learning about the new ways of working with the new equipments of farming
because earlier they had not made use of these equipments and lack of availability of these
equipments led to migration people from the rural areas to urban areas (Banson, Nguyen and
Bosch, 2016). This has impacted negatively on the agricultural sector of Africa and caused
shortage of food. This led to condition of starvation and hunger which gave rises to prices of
food products in the country. On the very basis, the implementation of ICT in Agriculture in
Africa was done with the motive of improving the working condition of farmers in Africa. With
the help of this technology, the improvement in the condition farmers and the country as well is
made. With the help of below figures and data, it has been presented:
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(Source: Factors of Growth in Agricultural Sector, 2019)
With the help of above presented graph, it has been clear in comparison to earlier in the
1960s, continuous growth in the agriculture sector has been seen. However, in the mid of 1971-
80, there has been a severe decrease in the agricultural productivity and the reason related to
low production of agriculture is because of low availability of equipments and movement of
people from rural areas in search of works to earn their livelihood. Another reason was also
related to lack of access to hybrid seed, fertilizers, pesticides, crop protection products in order to
make it easier for the farmers to deal with other epidemics such as drought, crop pests and
livestock diseases (Azadi and et. al., 2016). With the help of ICT and other related developments
in this sector, it has been possible to make the land expansion process, increase in output,
irrigation and many more such as to deal and avoid the situations related to epidemics to prevent
the country from coming again in the situation of starvation that could impact negatively on the
growth and development of this sector and on the betterment of economy of Africa.
It has also been founded that with the help of this technology, it has been possible to
make improvement in the overall economy of the country, the issues related to the starvation and
29
Illustration 1: Factors of Growth in Agricultural Output, 2019

low productivity of agricultural products in the country with the help of Information and
Communication Technology (Mengistie and Kidane, 2016). Small holder farmers in Sub Saharan
Africa are around 33 million, which represents in 80% of the total farm lands and contributes
90% upto the total food production in the Sub Saharan African countries. As there are very much
smallholder farmers in Africa so the government had worked on the development of these
smallholder farmers so that growth and development of this sector could be made possible in
order to overcome the current situation of crisis faced by the country and to make the economic
situation of the country stable (Barrientos and et. al., 2016). With the help of this, the chances of
growth and development of the country also increased as the farmers are now able to make use
of the new ways of working and doing the agricultural activities. This have impacted upon their
ways of working and also on their knowledge which have been enhanced with the help of
implementation of ICT in Africa (Poats, 2019). As earlier, there were many problems which
have been faced by the farmers in doing the crop related activities but with the implementation of
this technology, it became possible to know about various aspects if farming such as crop
rotation, crop fertility, use of pesticides and fertilizers and many more things impacting upon the
production level and output of agricultural food products with increased efficiency. With the
upcoming of some issues in relation to the use of new implemented technology in farming, it has
been made possible to make an increment in not only in farming but as well as in quality of food
products which are being produced by the farmers of Sub Saharan Africa (Oldekop and et. al.,
2016).
In addition to this, it has also been founded that there has been a significant impact of the
programs started by the government in order to make the farmers not to left their profession
because in case they left this profession than it will become difficult in order to deal with the
situation because with the low number of farmers in the country, it will not be possible to fulfil
the demand of food products in an appropriate way. And earlier there were also some farmers
who had left their occupation and moved to the urban areas in the search of some other work to
earn livelihood. So this has impacted adversely on the productivity of agricultural products of the
country. So with the help of these programs various benefits were to be provided to the farmers
in order to make improvement in their condition and to motivate them to do farming and not
leaving their occupation (Mnimbo and et. al., 2016). These programs and initiatives which have
been carried out by the government proved to be successful and helped good in the growth and
30

development of this sector as well as the productivity done by farmers in their farms. The Sub
Saharan African smallholder farmers by making use of ICT in agricultural purposes had made
possible to overcome the situation of crisis and epidemics related to food and many more
conditions. ICT has also contributed in the economic growth of the country which has also been
presented as under with the help of graph:
Illustration 2: ICT capital’s contribution to economic growth, 2019
(Source: ICT capital’s contribution to economic growth, 2019)
As with the help of this graph, it has been made clear that there has been a significant
increased contribution which has been made with the help of ICT it has been made possible to
make the economic growth of not only in Africa but also in the other countries as well
(Mapfumo and et. al., 2017). This graph makes it clear that from the period of 1989-95, the
economic growth made in the country more as compared to the second time period of in between
1995-03, in which the contribution of ICT in the economic growth of the country is not much as
compared to the past time period. It is because in the time period of 1989-95, the main focus of
the country's policies and strategies were related to agricultural sector which was the most
important area of concern for the country in which the improvement was needed and this
contribution have also helped a lot in the improvement in the economic condition of the Sub
Saharan African smallholder farmers as well as the economy of the country as well (Shaner,
2019).
31

It has also been founded that there is also another reason due to which the agricultural
products were not be able to reach and sell out to the new markets. The reasons were related to
the remoteness of farmers, low production, low farm gate prices, lack of information, and many
more. Due to these reasons the farmers in Sub Saharan Africa were not able to make their
livelihood and do not want to continue to work as farmers because the production was very low,
lack of proper equipments and knowledge and also the prices were very low which made
impossible for the smallholder farmers to spend their lives in doing this occupation (Khapayi and
Celliers, 2016). Due to this reason, they started to leave farming activities and moved to the
urban areas in search of work with the help of which they will be able to earn their livelihood.
(Source: World Bank Agriculture Project, 2015)
From the above graph, it has been clear that there has been a significant contribution
which has been made by the World Bank in order to make improvement in the overall condition
of agriculture in the world. The following graph also makes it clear that most of the investment
made by the World Bank is related in the Agriculture part of the world as it is one of the most
important sectors of the world which needs to be focused on. It was also related to the major
innovations which could be made with the help of agricultural improvements such as logistics
platforms which works for the betterment of making the links in between the buyers and sellers
along with the agricultural production chain (Saint Ville and et. al., 2016).
With the upcoming of mobile technologies, it has been made possible to inform the
farmers about the use of different equipments, their uses and also about the ways with the help of
which it will be possible for the farmers to know about the prices of their products and services
32

which they are selling to their customers (Kandachar and Halme, 2017). In case of lack of
knowledge about the prices of products and services, the farmers are discriminated by selling the
agricultural products at low prices from that which have been set by the government. So in order
to make the prevention of farmers from being exploited by the sellers, the government have had
set a specific prices limit to which the farmers could make the sell of their agricultural products
in the market (Aker, Ghosh and Burrell, 2016).
CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION
5.1 Conclusions
From the above research project, it has been concluded that there are different issues
which have been faced by the smallholder farmers in Sub Saharan Africa in relation to
agriculture. In addition to this, it has also been concluded that there are different issues which
have been faced by the farmers in Africa in the implementation of ICT in agriculture in Africa. It
was important to overcome these issues so that the productivity and efficiency could be increased
and the improvement in the overall condition of economy of the country. Further, it has also been
concluded that with the help of implementation of ICT in African Agriculture, it will be possible
to improve the ways of working of smallholder farmers in Africa and to implement new ways of
working in their processes. This will not only benefit the country for short period of time but will
also help in the log run as well. Moreover, the conclusion has been drawn about the overall
improvement in the working styles and increment in the knowledge of farmers in relation to the
use of Information and Communication Technology in the farming activities. Many initiatives
which have been developed and started by the African Government has also played an important
role in the growth and development of this sector such as by providing help to the farmers in
getting know with the ways of working, advisory services, knowledge about the use of latest
technology and equipments which are used for the purposes of irrigation, cropping and many
more.
5.2 Recommendations
ICT has played an important role in the growth and development of Agriculture and Food
Sector not only in Africa but also in many other countries of the world. But there are some
recommendation which are needed to be taken into consideration by the farmers in order to make
33

improvement in their condition as well as working styles of doing farming. So these are provided
as under:
 It is recommended to the farmers to make use of ICT in their agriculture processes and
ways of working. It is because there is a lot of difference in between the theoretical and
practical knowledge so not mere theoretical knowledge about the use of techn9ical
equipments will be enough for the farmers but it is also important for them to have
practical experience in relation the use of these technologies. The use of equipments will
only be known when an individual is coming directly across the experiences in relation to
nay field of study.
 In addition to this, it has been recommended that with the help of different initiatives
which have been developed by the government for the betterment of farmers such as from
where they could get good information and advisory services provided by the government
and should also know about the use of mobile technology in order to get proper and
timely assistance. Additionally it will also help in knowing information about the prices
which have been originally charged by the government for their products and services in
order to eradicate their exploitation.
5.3 Reflection
I am glad to get a chance to complete my research on this topic which is very interesting.
At the time of completing my research on this topic, there were several experiences which I
came across out of which some were positive and some were negative. Some positive
experiences were related to the enhancement of knowledge which I acquired at the time of
completing this research. It was also related to the support and guidance which I received from
the teachers, friends and families who helped me a lot in the completion of this research. On the
other hand, there were also some negative experiences which I passed and due to which the
completion of my research was also become late from the expected because of lack of time
management for different tasks and lack of knowledge of the ways of collecting data. Due to
these experiences, it become difficult for me to complete the research on time. In future, if I will
be ever provided with a chance to do the research again than I will make improvement in my
skills and knowledge for the successful completion of the research.
34

5.4 Anticipated Limitations
The main limitation which have been suffered at the time of completing this research is
related to the lack of proper time. Due to lack of time, it was not possible to make the completion
of the research in time due to late responses given by the respondents which not only impacted
on the completion of the research but also impacted on the completion of other parts of the
research as well.
35

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