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1. Digital platforms for boosting farmer knowledge: Two case studies in Kenya and UgandaApproximately 80% of all farms in Africa, or 33 million farms, are two hectares or less in size. Many of these smallholder farmers do not have access to resources, including extension services, to improve their farms. Lack of knowledge of Good Agronomic Practices (GAPs) causes farmers to fail to reach their full yield potential. Extension workers responsible to provide these GAPs to farmers are spread thin. For example, as of March of 2019, there was one extension worker for every 1,800 coffe... E. Bakirdjian, T. Harigaya, M. Osia, J. Zhu, J. Abuli |
2. Mapping African soils at 30m resolution - iSDAsoil: leveraging spatial agronomy in farm-level advisory for smallholdersField level soil data has been the foundation of agronomic advisory, but traditional methods involving on-farm sampling are too expensive for a large proportion of African smallholders. Building on the work of the African Soil Information Service (AfSIS), Innovative Solutions for Decision Agriculture (iSDA) and partners have created an agronomic soil database which covers the entire African continent at a spatial resolution of 30 m. “iSDAsoil” combines remote sensing data and othe... J. Crouch |
3. Mechanisation of smallholders in Zambia by agrodealer developmentThe main challenges hampering agricultural mechanization in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are affordability, availability, lack of farmer skills and constraints within the private sector. Smallholders are trapped in a vicious circle of low income, low demand, high cost, and lack of financing. Low capacity and lack of support for mechanisation contractors (agrodealers) to succeed is holding back the development. The objectives of this work were (i) to assess the affordability of mechanisation syste... S. Peets, S. Woods |
4. Spatial variability and mapping of selected soil quality indicators for precision farming at a smallholding level in Minna, NigeriaSmallholding farmers in Nigeria still practice blanket application of fertilizers, without giving consideration to spatial variations in soil properties across their fields. Understanding of spatial variability in soil properties is essential for precision farming, especially in this era of resource scarcity and high cost of fertilizers. This study was carried out to assess and map the spatial variability in selected soil quality indicators in a smallholder farm in Minna, North-central Nigeri... B. Lawal, M.K. Adeboye, P.A. Tsado |
5. FARMER CHARLIE: PRECISION AGRICULTURE AT SMALLHOLDER FARMERS’ SERVICEPreliminary research and an ongoing project in Nigeria showed that agriculture is a crucial activity in the country. It is mainly carried out in small, family-owned farms: in fact, 88% of Nigeria farmers work on less than 0.5 ha. Lack of resources, of readily available information and the impact of climate on agricultural activities lead to low yields and high-cost farm inputs (FAO, 2020). The availability of agricultural data and weather forecast information could play an essential role in i... B. Bonnardel, G. Cursoli |
6. Using Site-Specific Management Zones for Potato Crop Management, East Nile Delta, EgyptThe field management zones (MZ) delineated using soil electrical conductivity (EC) and topographic parameters are the basis for site-specific crop management (SSCM). The objective of this paper was to delineation site-specific management zones of 155 feddans (67.2 ha) of a potato pivot field at East of Nile Delta, Egypt for use in smart farming based on spatial variability of soil and plant properties, yield and topographic attributes. The salinity measurement in the f... A.B. Belal, E.S. Mohamed, M.E. Jalhoum, M. zahran, M.A. Abdellatif, M.S. Emam, E.A. Hendway |
7. Scaling Precision Agriculture in West Africa Smallholder Irrigation and Water Management SystemsThe advent of precision agriculture (PA) is changing global agricultural productivity; through the underlining principles that ensure inputs required for the management of soil, water and crop agronomy are supplied precisely across the field landscape resulting in optimum yield. The benefits of PA include improved food security through increases in water and nutrient use efficiency, and timely management of good agricultural practices. The practice of PA could be beneficial across commercial ... A.O. Oke, V. Aduramigba-modupe |
8. Potential precision agriculture practices for higher fruit and vegetable production in West Africa: A ReviewDuring the last decades, efforts have been made to increase the yield and the quality of major fruits and vegetables but still, farmers mainly those in West African countries are struggling to close the yield gap. Precision agriculture has been reported in most developed countries as a set of tools integrating information and technologies for efficient crop production. Over the decades, scholars have been skeptical about the development and implementation of precision agriculture in West Afri... V. Fassinou hotegni, L.W. Azonhoumon, E.G. Achigan-dako |
9. Deep Learning is bringing pan-African small holder advisory services based on mid-infrared spectroscopic soil analysis to the next levelThe majority of African smallholder farmers do not have access to soil analytical services. The main reasons are relatively high costs of wet chemical services and difficult logistics. As a result they have to rely on blanket fertilizer recommendations. This often causes poor soil management due to very heterogeneous soil conditions. As a result, the return on investment from blanket fertilizer recommendations is low and fertilizer acceptance is not growing among smallholder farmers. Soil spe... T. Terhoeven-urselmans, D. Fletcher, M.M. Karanja, J.W. Kamau |
10. Scale Independent Precision AgricultureThe advent of precision agriculture that occurred in the USA about three decades ago involved application of advanced and innovative technologies. Precision agriculture in the US and other advanced countries continued in that direction and today it is more sophisticated and complex than before. Interestingly, the concept of Precision Agriculture is relatively simple and does not mandate utilization of advanced technologies to practice precision agriculture. For example, it may take a su... R. Khosla |
11. The AgroCard-Côte d’Ivoire projectLe secteur agricole fait désormais partie des secteurs d’activités de précision. Face à l’amenuisement des ressources et les besoins sans cesses croissants en produits agricoles, l’agriculture de précision qui était jusque-là réservée aux grandes firmes agro-industrielles, s’impose aujourd’hui aux plus petits producteurs. Cependant, les matériels restent, pour la plupart, conçus pour la ... N. aphing |
12. Comparative Assessment of Landuse Landcover Changes on Water Quality of River Kaduna from 2012-2020 at Wuya, Niger State, NigeriaThe study investigates the effects of land use land cover changes on water quality of River Kaduna from 2012-2020 at Wuya, Niger state, Nigeria using Landsat 7 imagery. Five classes of LULC types where selected and used as basis for classification. Also five (5) sampling stations selected on the water body for water quality analysis which were collected once monthly for a period of six months from February 2020 to July 2020. The results of LULC classification depicts an increase in water body... I. Saratu usman, F. Yusufu |
13. Factors Influencing Farmers’ Decisions on Timing and Application Rates of Irrigation Water in Semi-Arid Regions: A Case-Study of Mwala, Machakos County, KenyaThis study investigates the factors influencing farmers’ decisions on water application in arid and semi-arid regions, where water shortages are prevalent due to low and unreliable rainfall. The research involved interviewing 41 farmers registered under the Equity Group Foundation extension scheme, focusing on their irrigation scheduling techniques, timing, application rates, and other factors such as plant and soil conditions. The study also involved laboratory analysis of soil samples... D. Mongína, C.K. Gachene, G. Kironchi |
14. Evaluating the Impact of Seasonal Weather Variability on Soil Moisture Conservation Under Mulching Systems for Date Palm Production in OasesSoil moisture is an essential parameter that governs crop production and soil health. Therefore, the critical role of soil moisture cannot be overstated in sustaining agriculture, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Date palm production not only plays a vital role in economic and nutritional purposes in many arid areas but also plays important roles in creating favorable microclimates for agriculture and protecting lands from desertification. This study proposes an innovative appr... U. Safi, O. Abdallah , A. Sabri |
15. Rainwater Harvesting and Nutrient Intensification in Maize-Legume Farming Systems in Semi-Arid ZimbabweAgricultural productivity in Zimbabwe is declining mainly due to climate change and inherently poor soil fertility. The situation is worsened by the high cost of fertilizers beyond the reach of many smallholder farmers. In response to these challenges, most smallholder farmers are implementing either rainwater harvesting (RWH) or integrated soil fertility management (ISFM). This study sought to investigate the role of integrating the tied-contour RWH (TC-RWH) technique and ISFM on soil moistu... E. Mutsamba-magwaza, D. Nyamayevu, G. Nyamadzawo, R. Mandumbu, I. Nyagumbo |
16. Upland Rice Yield Response to Soil Moisture Variability with Depth Across Ferralsols and Gleysols in Western UgandaSoil moisture is a vital factor in boosting rice productivity by influencing the growth of healthy plants. In mid-western districts like Kikuube where rainfall is unpredictable, maintaining optimal soil moisture differs between a bountiful harvest and crop failure. Effective soil moisture management leads to improved water use efficiency, allowing crops to withstand periods of drought. This study assessed upland yield response to soil moisture variations with soil depth in Ferralsols and Gley... T. Matila, P. Tamale |
17. Real-Time Moisture Control in Irrigation Systems for Water Use Efficiency and Climate Change Resilience. A ReviewDue to the increasing water scarcity and uncertainties of climate change, improving crop water use efficiency and productivity, at the same time minimizing detrimental effects on the environment to meet the world's rising food demand. Thus, is necessary to adopt innovative irrigation strategies, such as drip irrigation. Smart irrigation has a potential of improving water use efficiency in precision agriculture. Conventionally, irrigation systems rely on heuristic methods in order to sched... D. Kindikiza |
18. Design and Development of a LoRa Communication System for Scalable Smart Irrigation SystemsSmart irrigation is a promising tool to optimize irrigation water use but is still faced with challenges related to usability and applicability attributed to several constraints such as high initial costs, complex user interface, poor connectivity, limited farm coverage, etc. This study aimed to solve some of these issues through the development and testing of a LoRa communication system using a Raspberry Pi 4, LoRa HAT concentrator, and Strega smart valve at the Makerere University Agricultu... J. Wanyama , J. Ikabat, I. Kabenge, P. Hess, P. Nakawuka, E. Bwambale , J. Muyonga, S. Felicioni, A. Bühlmann, T. Anken |
19. Investigating the Interaction Between Soil Moisture and Clay Content for Enhanced Soil Moisture Prediction: A Lab-Based Approach with Implications for African Agriculture... Y. Atyosi |