NAIROBI, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Experts on Thursday met in Kenya's capital of Nairobi to promote the use of digital innovations to boost Africa's agricultural sector.
The AgroWeb3 conference, a one-day event, brought together more than 200 participants composed of United Nations agency officials, industry experts and farmers from across Africa to accelerate the adoption of technologies to enhance farmers' production.
Sara Mbago-Bhunu, regional director of the East and Southern Africa Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations, said that digital tools such as e-commerce platforms can help farmers access new markets.
"Digital payment systems such as mobile money platforms can help to reduce the cost and time of trading in agricultural commodities," she said, adding that financial technology (fintech) platforms can also make it easier for farmers to access credit to finance purchases of agricultural inputs.
Gladys Morales, global head of innovation at IFAD, said that digital innovations that utilize satellite data for weather-based insurance products can protect African farmers against climate change-induced adverse weather conditions.
Andrea Gardeazabal Monsalue, information and communications technologies for agriculture coordinator at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, said that blockchain technologies can also assist smallholder farmers gain organic, fair trade, or phytosanitary certifications required to access foreign markets. ■
