Agricultural Information Systems (AGRIS) as a Catalyst for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa

The absence of well-developed agricultural information systems (AGRIS) has continued to hinder agricultural development in Africa. Efforts designed to modernize agriculture through AGRIS by the public and private sectors have been hindered by administrative bottlenecks, weak political will from governments, display of ineptitude by farmers/associations, and institutional corruption. In view of the foregoing, this chapter discusses AGRIS as a catalyst for SDGs in Africa. An effective AGRIS will strengthen decisions on the general management of the agricultural sector. Deploying the AGRIS for the management of agriculture will boost food production, increase the GDPs and directly strengthen the actualization of SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 3, SDG 8, SDG 9, SDG 10, SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 14, SDG 15, SDG 17, and indirectly impact other SDGs. Ultimately, this chapter suggests leveraging AGRIS for mitigating all the identified challenges to agricultural development in the continent.

Agriculture Business Problems

Researchers need to investigate global life-threatening problems tied to agriculture such as food insecurity and malnutrition pandemics. This chapter reviews empirical fact-based state-of-the-art literature underlying the agri-business adoption barriers and the agriculture food insecurity crises. The authors focus their effort on identifying the hot spots of global agriculture problems, in developing nations. They use critical analysis to identify the most pressing issues and controversies surrounding West Africa. They then explore empirical literature suggesting possible remedies and future research needs to resolve the agriculture problems, in a way that these concepts would generalize globally and be of interest to other scholars. They produce several conceptual models to assist future agriculture research scholars including keyword thematic diagrams, cross-case subject analysis, topic contingency analysis, and literature topic synthesis. They then focus on probable solutions and they create several conceptual models to summarize those. They close with recommendations for future research.

Introduction to Agricultural Information Systems

This chapter provides an introduction to agricultural and farm management information systems. This chapter provides an overview of the components, subsystems, processes, and operations in agricultural information systems. This chapter also covers the impact of these systems in improving the efficiency, and productivity of farm output. This chapter introduces several technologies related to the use of information systems in agriculture, including agricultural information systems (AIS), farm management information systems (FMIS), e-agriculture, and precision agriculture. This chapter introduces state-of-the-art technologies used in agriculture in the current context apart from providing an introduction to the use and adoption rates of these information systems. This chapter concludes with a brief discussion on the issues facing the adoption and implementation of agricultural information systems and presents some of the key issues that decision makers need to take to improve the acceptance and use of these information systems.

Design of a Digital Kissan Hub Prototype for Farmer Produce Organizations to Empower Agribusiness

The agriculture sector in India has witnessed significant improvements in the adoption of modern technologies and mechanization to enhance crop yield levels in recent decades. The farmers require timely marketing of their produce to improve their liquidity for meeting their expenses. The lack of digitization and dominance of middlemen, poor market support, lack of knowledge, and inability to store their produce for better prices are core issues to be addressed for the economic prosperity of farmers. Today only 27% consumer price value reaches farmers, thus making agriculture a non-viable activity; hence, farmers are becoming poor, bankrupt, and committing suicide. The real fact is that Indian farmers are poor, but agribusiness is very prosperous. Implementing modern agricultural practices, legal farmer produce organizations (FPO), digital kissan hub (DKH) would promote agriculture and agribusiness. This chapter reviewed the digitization in agribusiness and designed a prototype of a Digital Kissan Hub to empower FPO, to enhance farmers income and ensure food security of the nation.

Agribusiness Technology Transfer and Innovation as a Catalyst for Food Security in Developing Countries

This study assesses the influence of agribusinesses technology transfer and innovation in developing countries, Kenya. The study used a sample framework of 300 enterprises and structural equation modeling for content analysis. The findings show that innovation and technology transfer have a positive impact on firm performance and rural development. However, the lack of effective agribusiness technology transfer from R&D institutions to the industry is the main challenge facing agribusiness performance and rural development in developing countries. Thus, the need for financial support for research and development institutes that would promote the linkages between the innovators and the agribusiness enterprises in rural areas. The study recommends that to encourage innovation and technology adoption across business sectors, a suitable policy linking agribusiness enterprises with R&D institutions is critical in promoting innovation transfer from these institutions.

Addressing Risk Associated to ICT-Based Technology

The aim of this work is to discuss the ways risk may affect farm investments in ICT-based technology such as precision agriculture (PA) technologies and to establish how to better incorporate risk and uncertainty into cost-benefit analyses, in order to calibrate the estimated expected net present value from farmers' investments. To properly measure the factors underlying risk in agriculture it is essential to collect a proper piece of data and information from technology, market, and institutions. However, it is somehow hard to rely on historical information about PA technologies as they have appeared on the market in a recent time. Thus, in this work an ad hoc methodology useful to aid risk-averse farmers is developed, dealing with the estimation of financial parameters like discount rates, economic life of technology, and residual values at the end of the period for which benefits are considered.

Role of Agri-Food Value Chains in Bolstering Small and Marginal Farmers in India

India's agri-food value chains have been evolving over the last few decades to cater to the growing consumer demand for healthy, safe, and nutritious food. These value chains are increasingly getting integrated from production to marketing to cater to such demand. While large and/or commercial farmers have easy access to such modern food value chains, small and marginal farmers in India and other developing countries alike are unable to take advantage of the same. Focusing on improving the agri-food value chains, particularly for perishables, makes a strong case in India given most Indian farmers are small and marginal farmers and are unable to take advantage of economies of scale. It is encouraging that both public and private sector entities are getting engaged in connecting Indian farmers directly to the supply chains of various crops. However, more needs to be done to make the processes, particularly in the public sector, the least bureaucratic and more farmer-focused so that small and marginal farmers in particular, benefit widely.

Agribusiness in South Asia

Agribusiness plays a key role in the sustainable economic development of rural poor by fulfilling daily needs. In South Asia, all the countries have a similar pattern of societies, resources, climates, practices, and people located close to each other. Crop cultivation, dairy production, fishery, and forestry are the main agribusiness sectors for trading agricultural produce in markets. In contrast, factors (i.e., global warming due to climate change, natural calamity, environmental pollution, unsafe foodstuff, labor unavailability, marketing limitations, and financial crisis) are responsible for a serious fatal to agribusiness activities. Unless we uproot challenges, agribusiness cannot contribute effectively to the economy of developing nations in South Asia. Thus, future strategies may be standing on contemporary scientific research approaches on crop science, restoring resources, controlling food quality, introducing modern types of machinery, best marketing practices, and inclusive financing.

Design of an Agribusiness Innovative and Autonomous Robot System for Chemical Weed Control for Staple Food Crops Production in Sub-Saharan Africa

Agriculture and agribusinesses suffer from many challenges, despite their significance to global economic growth. One of the challenges is the lack of appropriate technology to drive the industry to the next level of development. This technological gap contributes to reduced yield and profit without a reduction in manual labour, cost, and stress. Robotics have been explored to boost agricultural production and improve agribusiness productivity. Several weed control robots have been developed for research and field uses, but these systems are not suitable for weed control in large commercial farms or lack control schemes for navigation and weed control. This study presents the design of an autonomous robot system for chemical weed control. The system uses control theory, artificial intelligence, and image processing to navigate a farm environment, identify weeds, and apply herbicide where necessary. Upon implementation and adoption, this system would increase agricultural productivity with minimal human input, thereby leading to an increase in revenue and profit for agribusinesses.

Assessment of E-Readiness Challenges of Farmers and Extension Workers in North-East Nigeria

The grounded theory study-based chapter comprehensively presents information about the significance of information and communication technology, the e-readiness situation of Nigeria in the field of agri-business. The core purpose of this chapter is to discuss the e-readiness challenges faced by the farmers and extension workers communities of the north-east region of Nigeria. While introducing and application of information technology (IT), numerous challenges like infrastructural constraints including electricity, training facilities, lower literacy rates, language and cultural restrictions, lack of awareness campaigns, expensive telecom services have been facing by farmers and extension workers of the targeted region. The significant adoption of technology in agriculture by the young generation when compared to the older age, also highlighted in the chapter. The authors highlighted the dot.com boom in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, along with stakeholder's role in creating awareness of agricultural information systems.