Ghana increases technology in agriculture

Ghana is increasingly drifting towards the use of technology to raise agricultural production as it launches the “mFarms” platform to aid farmers to adopt good farm management practices.

It will serve as vital source of information on best agronomic practices, pest and disease control.

Added to these, is the development of viable linkages within the agricultural value chain to bring about efficiency.

The platform was launched during the sixth annual pre-harvest agribusiness fair organized in Sunyani by the Ghana Grains Council with funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-Agricultural Development and Value Chain Enhancement (ADVANCE).

Held under the theme “Profiting together”, the event brought together more than 800 participants – farmers, processors, buyers, equipment dealers, transporters, financial institutions and insurance companies.

The goal was to assist foster long-term business relationships and to provide the opportunity for agribusiness companies to showcase their products.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Image-Ad, an Accra-based Agricultural Information Technology (IT) Company, Kwame Adom Bentil, said the ‘mFarms’ was an innovative user-friendly mobile and web-based system for managing and communicating with actors in the agricultural value chain to improve efficiency.

The benefits, he said, will be enormous, citing expected significant jump in crop yield and linking farmers to markets.

He is of the view that, there is the need to constantly make available information on good agricultural practices, pests and disease management to farmers.

Mr. Bentil indicated that the ‘mFarms’ would bring good agricultural practices to the doorsteps of the smallholder farmer to raise crop yield and incomes.

Currently, the product had been rolled out in 19 countries across Africa to ensure food security.

Ghanaiantimes