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AfDB supports small livestock farmers in Zambia to adapt to climate change

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AfDB supports small livestock farmers in Zambia to adapt to climate change

The Climate Resilient Livestock Management Project, implemented by the African Development Bank in Zambia between 2017 and 2022, has helped to equip small livestock farmers to adapt to climate change.

In particular, the percentage of targeted households with enough water for their animals to drink all year round has risen from 48% to 89% over the period, according to the Project Completion Report published on 2 November 2023.

With 96.7% of households adopting new production practices for milk, the nutritional benefits for adults and children have also improved. As a result, 122% of households can make hay by cutting pasture grown from seed in their fields after receiving pasture seeds and learning how to preserve animal feed.

With a $6.21 million grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the Bank, the project has complemented and climate-proofed the ADF-financed $18 million Livestock Infrastructure Support Project. It has also enabled communities to undertake various activities to promote investment in livestock and build farmers’ capacity to adapt to climate change. These included purchasing additional fodder seeds to develop and restore degraded meadows covering 3,763 hectares in Northern and Muchinga provinces and distributing 5,640 livestock units to farmers through the livestock pass-on-a-gift restocking programme.

In addition, 617 hectares of sustainable pasture for livestock have been created, 112 kilometres of fire-break roads constructed, 258 community village land-use plans developed, and 45 solar-powered boreholes dug to provide livestock farmers with access to water. Consultants have also developed 10 good practice manuals for indigenous livestock management and created a livestock early warning system. The project also equipped six livestock farms with biogas digesters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Capacity-building activities and various awareness campaigns on adapting to climate change were implemented to support the project. Activities included training farmers in building biogas digesters, building capacity for adapting to sustainable land-use management, conserving fodder for livestock during the dry season, and assessing climate risk and adaptation skills for livestock farmers.

Local artisans were also trained in manufacturing equipment related to livestock farming as a source of income diversification. Various knowledge adaptation products were produced, including documentary videos from the National Agricultural Information Services on the livestock pass-on scheme and the effects of climate change on animal production.

“The project team also participated in various events organized by adaptation practitioners, such as national and annual agricultural and trade shows and study visits by farmers in the Southern province.

The project has strengthened other sub-sectors, such as plant production, which is essential for improving the livelihoods of small farmers, along with integrated farming.

Raubil Durowoju, African Development Bank Country Manager for Zambia, highlighted gender mainstreaming in all project activities.

“Among other things, women’s groups benefited from training and climate-resilient livestock restocking programmes through the pass-on scheme. Women represented over 40% of the target beneficiaries,” Durowoju,” he said.

Mr. Gethings Chisule, the Government Provincial Coordinator for Northern Province, noted that the project had improved the income levels of smallholder livestock farmers through improved livestock production and productivity.

He also underscored the project’s contribution to climate resilience and adaptation among farmers. The Project also built the capacity of the Government staff and smallholder farmers. He thanked the stakeholders, including the Global Environment Facility and the African Development Bank, for their support during the implementation period.

Ms Naboth Zulu, a Musa Dairy Cooperative (Kasama District) member, indicated that he was given two heifer-dairy animals on condition that he should pass on the offspring to the next beneficiaries to increase the number of recipients. The animals produce an average of 18 litres daily, which has helped him earn income to educate his children and provide food for his family, thus improving their livelihoods.

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Ensuring nutrition is at the heart of climate smart agriculture

 

Ensuring nutrition is at the heart of climate smart agriculture

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Ensuring nutrition is at the heart of climate smart agriculture

Farmers in sub-Saharan Africa need to diversify away from growing maize and switch to crops that are resilient to climate change and supply key micronutrients for the population, say researchers.

Maize is a staple crop across the region where it is grown and consumed in vast quantities.

Led by Dr Stewart Jennings from the University of Leeds, the study argues that diversification towards fruits, vegetables and crops such as cassava, millet and sorghum will improve nutrition security in the country, with people getting sufficient micronutrients essential for good health.

The study also says the quantity of food produced must increase – and unless yields are boosted to an unprecedented level, more land will have to be brought into agricultural production.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to around 1.2 billion people, and according to figures from the World Bank, the population will grow by an additional 740 million people by 2050.

Farmers will have to boost the amount of food grown at a time when climate change will result in increasingly extreme conditions, affecting what crops can be grown.

The researchers say the population is at risk of “food and nutrition insecurity” unless effective ways of adapting to climate change are identified. Integral to any decisions is a requirement that crops need to be nutritious and provide sufficient energy for the population.

Professor Jennie Macdiarmid, from the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen and one of the authors of the paper, said: “The study has highlighted the need to place nutrition at the heart of agricultural policy to avoid the long-term unintended consequence of failing to produce food that can deliver the nutritional needs of the population.

“If policy solutions focus only on increasing production of calories and adapting to be climate smart, it is likely there will be negative consequences for health through nutritionally poor diets.”

The study – Stakeholder-driven transformative adaptation is needed for climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa - is published in the scientific journal Nature Food.

More than 50 researchers contributed to the investigation, which involved talking to policymakers and other stakeholders in the food and agriculture sectors in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa: Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.

‘Agriculture and nutrition policies can sit in siloes’

The researchers used the iFEED assessment framework to investigate policy options to create an agricultural system that is resilient to climate change and would supply enough nutritionally-adequate food to meet the food and nutritional needs of the population.

“Too often food, agriculture and nutrition policies sit in siloes across different government departments,” said Dr Jennings, a Research Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds.

“This study provides holistic evidence that combines information on environmental impacts of food system changes and the changes needed for population level nutrition security. The research shows that action can be taken to adapt to climate change and improve nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Stakeholders in each country identified key uncertainties in the future of the food system. iFEED explores these uncertain futures and identifies key policy issues that decision makers working in the agriculture and food sectors need to consider.

The scientists say there needs to be a fundamental shift - or “transformative approach” - in agriculture to incorporate nutritional needs.

Diversifying into soybean production is one option. Soybean crops are more likely to withstand the impacts of climate change compared to maize. Dr Ndashe Kapulu, from the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute and contributing author to the study has been involved in studies to assess how soybean could improve the income of commercial and small-scale farmers.

He said: “Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa will be better able to handle climate change and other stresses if they have more diverse food systems, such as the transition to soybean production in Zambia.

“As scientists, we need to generate enough evidence in our research to help make changes that support and guide actions to make the agrifood system more resilient.”

Increasing the production and consumption of animal-based products in sub-Saharan Africa could also improve nutritional quality of diets but the scientists warn that it should not reach the unsustainable production levels seen in some higher income countries.

More animal-based products would cause a rise in greenhouse gas emissions, although the researchers say that this could be tolerable given sub-Saharan Africa’s need to reduce the risk of nutritionally-inadequate diets – and that its greenhouse gas emissions are relatively low.

The study involved researchers from a number of organisation including the University of Leeds, University of Aberdeen, the Met Office, Chatham House and FANRPAN.

iFEED is a database - developed in part by the University of Leeds under the GCRF AFRICAP programme and the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience – to help decision makers deliver food system policies which are resilient to climate change and deliver nutritious food – reducing the risk of food and nutrition insecurity.

Stakeholder-driven transformative adaptation is needed for climate-smart nutrition security in sub-Saharan Africa

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African farmers get insurance cover against severe impacts of climate change

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African farmers get insurance cover against severe impacts of climate change

The African Development Bank Group has presented its planned $1 billion facility to provide insurance to more than 40 million farmers across the continent against severe impacts of climate change.

The facility was widely praised by the World Food Programme (WFP), development agencies, insurance companies and the private sector during a side event at COP28 in Dubai.

African Development Bank President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation (ACRIFA) aims to mobilise $1 billion of concessionary financing, high-risk capital and grants to support the African insurance industry.

The Facility is designed to protect farmers and countries against catastrophic weather-related events and to stimulate private sector investment in agriculture by mitigating risks.

“We have to support farmers, not abandon them, in the face of rising frequency and intensity of extreme weather events like drought, floods and pest infestation… We need to ensure that farmers and actors along the agricultural value chain are covered by insurance at scale,” the Bank President said.

Adesina said over 97% of farmers in Africa do not have agricultural insurance. “Their only insurance is to pray… when they plant that it will rain. Pray when they harvest that there will not be rains or pest devastation and pray when they market their crops that prices will not collapse.”

“The eyes of more than 40 million smallholder farmers in Africa are on us. Let us make ACRIFA the answer to their prayers,” the Bank President said.

Adesina said ACRIFA “will systematically support the African insurance industry to unlock financing for investments in climate-smart and green technologies.”

“It will strengthen local insurers and foster integration with national and international reinsurers,” he added.

Unveiled at the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September, ACRIFA brings together governments, development agencies, the insurance sector and the private sector.

The successful roll out of the facility will depend largely on partnerships such as the World Food Programme to deliver services to clients.

“The climate crisis is affecting agricultural communities across Africa. This programme will play an important role in protecting smallholder [farmers], pastoralists and small businesses from climate shocks,” said Cindy McCain, Executive Director of the World Food Programme.

“We are excited about our growing partnership with the African Development Bank, which is allowing us to offer more support to governments, as they respond to the climate crisis,” she added.

During the presentation, the United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Director General of the African Risk Capacity Group, Ibrahima Diong and Bogolo Kenewendo, the Special Advisor to the United Nations Climate Change High-Level Champion, said ACRIFA will boost investment and resilience in the continent’s agri-food systems.

The presentation was followed by a panel discussion on how large-scale deployment and use of quality, climate risk-related insurance solutions can boost Africa’s food security, and open business opportunities for the global insurance sector. It was moderated by Dr Victor Oladokun the Senior Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Advisor to the Bank President.

The Head of Government Relations at the One Acre Fund Michelle Kigari said, “Insurance is absolutely critical in building resilience, meaningful resilience, for Africa’s farmers,” and added, “Farmers are not able to bounce back from some shocks if they don’t have a safety net, and insurance helps build that safety net.”

The Founder of Takaful Insurance Group of Africa and ACRIFA Senior Advisor Hassan Bashir urged insurance companies to consider taking on large-scale group clusters of farmers for insurance cover. “Africa is fed and employed by the agriculture sector, yet we define it as a risky business. Agriculture is not risky—life depends on it,” said Bashir.

“Once you have data, you have transparency, and transparency creates trust. If you are able to bring that transparency across the entire value chain, transparency, then you will be able to bring trust and better investors, better support for the farmers,” said Kate Kallot, CEO of Amini AI, an artificial intelligence startup focusing on Africa’s environmental data scarcity.

Quality, accurate and reliable data remains a big challenge to many investors across sectors in Africa, an issue that Hope Murera, Managing Director and CEO of Insurer Training Centre Zep-Re Academy and Board member of Acre Fund raised: “We are doing our bit as the Zep-Re Academy, but it is not enough. We talked about data. How do we get data so that we price correctly?”

“We are better together,” said Bridget Gainer, Global Head of Public Affairs and Policy for Aon, one of the world’s largest risk management companies.

“The market for insurance in Africa is massive. This Facility will bring the key players together to make it easier for scale to be achieved, to make connections between players, and for insurance to reach more of the continent’s most vulnerable,” said Dr Beth Dunford, Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

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Topcon launches transplanting guidance and control technology for specialty farmers

Topcon launches transplanting guidance and control technology for specialty farmers

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Topcon launches transplanting guidance and control technology for specialty farmers

Topcon Agriculture has introduced Transplanting Control, a new solution for specialty farmers.

Designed to reduce labor, boost efficiency and increase production, this turnkey solution provides global navigation satellite system (GNSS) based guidance, autosteering and control, benefitting producers of permanent and perennial trees, fruits and vegetable crops.

“Manual measurement is still common practice in areas where specialty and permanent crops are grown,” said Michael Stone, vice president of product development at Topcon Agriculture.

“Our precision GNSS-based guidance and control allows for more elaborate planting patterns, and has been proven through countless industries and applications. This now-affordable transplanting technology can help growers increase crop production by up to 15 percent, if not more.”

The solution eliminates manual labor required to physically outline fields and provides streamlined setup through an easy-to-use task planning interface. Farmers can also expect reductions in fuel and other inputs through the reliability of GNSS, resulting in fewer mistakes and corrections.

“Crops placed in an optimized space maximize available resources like soil nutrients, water, sunlight; this also allows more accessible angles for maintenance, like cleaning and weeding, which will further improve output,” Stone said.

“More uniform transplanting executed through GNSS generates a healthier crop for increased production and quality. This technology can even improve efficiencies with tasks like soil sampling and post hole digging.”

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Construction begins on agri-food training centre in Burundi

Construction begins on agri-food training centre in Burundi

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Construction begins on agri-food training centre in Burundi

On 26 October 2023 in Gitega, the East African Community, the Burundian government and the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) Country Office in Burundi officially launched the Agropastoral Entrepreneurship and Professional Development Project for Youth and Women.

The initiative will involve the construction of a regional polytechnic and vocational training centre in Rusi, in Karuzi Province, located approximately 50 kilometres from Gitega, the political capital of Burundi. The African Development Bank Group’s $20 million funding for the project represents 87% of its total cost.

Construction work on the centre was initiated by François Havyarimana, Minister of National Education and Scientific Research, and his colleague Gervais Abayeho, Minister for Youth, as well as Hendrina Chalwe Doroba, the Bank’s Education and Skills Development Division Manager for East Africa, and Pascal Yembiline, the Bank’s Country Office Manager in Burundi.

The centre will be built on a 156-hectare area of land, of which around 142 hectares will be set aside for agropastoral production. At least 2,000 students (30% of whom will be girls) will be trained there, and 3,000 cooperatives with 15,000 members (50% women) will benefit from capacity-building sessions held there. The project will also ensure that 10 digital centres spread across the country are connected to the Rusi centre, providing greater access to technical education.

“We’d like to pay tribute to the African Development Bank’s regular involvement in Burundi generally, and its investment in human capital in particular,” said Mr Havyarimana. “We’re delighted that the project aligns well with the ‘Burundi Vision Emerging Country 2040, Developed Country 2060’ document and with the National Technical Education Policy and Strategy (2022-2027).”

Minister for Youth Abayeho said: “the project is in keeping with the Burundian government’s priorities and responds to its vision of improving agricultural productivity and introducing new agri-food processing techniques. These steps will enable us to move towards a structural transformation of the economy and a diversification of sectors offering opportunities for Burundi’s young people, who make up 60% of the country’s population.”

Mr Yembiline of the African Development Bank thanked Burundi for involving the Bank in this large-scale vocational retraining programme, which aims to equip young people and women with the technical skills required for the country’s economy.

“This project comes at a time when the Bank has recently launched its Skills for Employability and Productivity in Africa Action Plan (2022-2025),” he said. “The goal of the plan is to bridge the skills gap within the scope of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the digital transformation towards the labour market.”

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Agrotop’s vertical integration poultry solutions for extreme weather conditions

Agrotop’s vertical integration poultry solutions for extreme weather conditions

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Agrotop, a leading global player in poultry and livestock turnkey projects, Presented its full range of innovative vertical integration poultry solutions designed for extreme weather conditions at VIV Asia 2023.

The event, which took place on March 8–10, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand, saw Agrotop showcase its advanced and adaptive poultry solutions specifically designed to cope with severe heat and varying humidity conditions intensified by global warming.

Agrotop displayed its tailor-made solutions, which integrate engineering, construction, and technological disciplines at Booth 2483. The poultry projects on display demonstrated how the company’s chicken houses can withstand extreme weather conditions and provide the ideal environment for birds to thrive in even the most tropical climates.

“The harsh impact of climate change has a direct impact on all aspects of poultry farming,” said Gavriel Pelleg, President and Founder of Agrotop. “We have gained specific expertise in addressing the challenges arising from growing birds in hot and tropical climates, and our solutions have been designed specifically for extreme weather conditions.”

VIV Asia 2023 provides a perfect opportunity for the poultry industry professionals, entrepreneurs, and investors interested in large-scale poultry projects to witness Agrotop’s unique solutions.

By integrating the entire production chain, from seed to final product, a full vertical integration poultry project can reduce operational costs, self-supply a certain product that is unavailable, or achieve a higher quality final product for a competitive edge.

Using sophisticated ventilation systems and advanced features, Agrotop has successfully completed complicated projects in difficult climate zones worldwide.

The company has acquired extensive experience in building poultry solutions for extreme weather conditions that ensure food security and generate new sources of income.

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Nokian Tyres’ VF tractor tire and VF flotation tire for efficient farming

Nokian Tyres’ VF tractor tire and VF flotation tire for efficient farming

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Nokian Tyres’ VF tractor tire and VF flotation tire for efficient farming

Nokian Tyres Flexforce® VF is a unique new tire technology that enables more efficient agricultural work by creating an XXL-sized ground contact and by reducing loss of power.

The first tractor tire utilizing this technology is Nokian Tyres Soil King VF, which has already proven to be ahead of competition in third-party tests. A new flotation tire for high-capacity tankers and trailers, Nokian Tyres Float King VF, complements the Flexforce VF range. Nokian Tyres is proud to present the new tires as well as the existing range of special tires at the agricultural trade fair Agritechnica 2023 in Hanover, 12–18 November.

To make the most out of long working days, farmers today need power and scale. With high power and high capacity comes the challenge of improving productivity and reducing cost, which is also the sustainable way to go.

At Agritechnica, the highlight of the Nokian Tyres stand are the two tire models utilizing Nokian Tyres Flexforce VF– a brand-new tire technology that combines strength with high flexibility for the most efficient XXL-size ground contact with improved energy efficiency.

“The Flexforce VF technology brings the advanced design and premium features that the farmers have been asking for to agricultural tires,” says Tero Saari, Product Manager at Nokian Tyres.

Introducing two new tires for efficient farming

Nokian Tyres Soil King VF is the first tire for high-powered tractors utilizing the new Flexforce VF tire technology. It has been tested by the highly regarded DLG, or Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft. The comparison against other premium agricultural tires proved its best-in-class performance in field and transport work with lower wheel slip and fuel consumption as well as a larger treated area per hour.

Nokian Tyres Float King VF is a new tire for high-capacity trailers and tankers utilizing the Flexforce tire technology. It has proven exceptional efficiency with flotation and grip in challenging soil conditions.

“The results are clear: Nokian Tyres VF tires save fuel and increase working efficiency,” Saari says. “It is great to go public with cutting-edge tire technology that makes the difference where it matters most: in the daily work of farmers.”

Step into the world of Nokian Heavy Tyres

The Agritechnica trade fair brings professionals together and gives a glimpse into the future of agriculture. In a crowded trade fair, it’s not just about the products – it’s about the experience.

For Agritechnica, Nokian Tyres has built a hybrid booth that gets you as close to the real-life experience of farming work as you can get in an exhibition hall. And there is a lot more to experience than just the new Flexforce VF products with a whole range of agricultural tractor, trailer and tanker tires as well as complete wheels.

“Tires, complete wheels and Nokian Tyres IntuituTMsmart tire connectivity – they all complement each other, and some new features of Intuitu will be presented at our stand!” reveals Matthew Crocker,Product Manager at Nokian Tyres.

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Tractors sales continue to plummet in Australia

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The market for tractor sales in Australia has seen further declines in October and now sit 24% behind the same time last year.

Whilst the level of decline appears high, there has been around 12,000 tractors sold already in 2023 which is in line with what has traditionally been regarded as a strong year for sales.

For some months now we have been reporting a slowdown in demand due to the predicted onset of drier weather along with the ongoing increases in interest rates, clearly there is still solid demand for new machinery in the market as recent rains have brought some encouragement to farmers in the near term.

Dealers continue to report solid inventory levels across the board with the biggest challenge being able to supply the precise machine being requested. Supply chain bottlenecks appear to be easing due mainly to the lower volumes of machines coming into the country. This is particularly the case for containerised freight which is moving smoothly.

Ro-Ro (Roll On Roll Off) freight continues to present the odd challenge due mainly to the stringent quarantine regulations in place which can have the effect of sidelining entire shipments if a single problem is detected. This can be particularly stressful for time sensitive deliveries such as those required for harvest.

Looking around the nation, all states have experienced significant drops in the month, beginning with Queensland, down 26% against the same month last year to be 21% behind year to date. NSW was down 34% to be 25% off YTD, Victoria was off 27% and is now 28% behind year to date.

Sales in Western Australia were in line with last year and remains 19% behind last year. South Australia recorded another big decline, off 45% and now sits 20% behind YTD and Tasmania was off 17% for the month, 21% down YTD with sales in the NT finishing 8% down, remaining 13% down YTD.

Falls were experienced in all machine categories where we find that the small under 40 hp (30kw) category was down by 41% for the month and is now 25% behind year to date. The 40 to 100hp (30-75kw) range was also down 32% and is now 25% behind year to date, the 100 to 200hp (75-150 kw) category was down, this time by 19% and remains 25% behind YTD and finally the 200 hp (150kw) PLUS range slipped, down 8% remaining 16% behind last year.

Sales of Combine Harvesters have stalled somewhat and are now in line with last year with just under 800 units sold so far in 2023. Baler sales enjoyed another healthy rise and are now 15% ahead on a year-to-date basis and sales of Out – Front Mowers are down by around 4% compared with the same time last year.

In summary, there has been a noticeable pullback in machinery sales and whilst the current sales volumes can be described as good, we remain cautious about the outlook for 2024 where the full impact of climate conditions, commodity prices, machinery price rises, and higher interest rates have a fuller effect.

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Why smart spraying is rapidly gaining ground

Why smart spraying is rapidly gaining ground

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Why smart spraying is rapidly gaining ground

Smart spraying technologies are continuing to evolve, and technologies that were considered visionary only a few years ago have already been proven ready for practical application.

Today high-technology sprayers are often considerably more expensive than conventional ones, but smart spraying is rapidly gaining ground.

Smart spraying is becoming increasingly attractive

There are various reasons for the increasing appeal of these technologies.

  • An important advantage is cost efficiency due to the savings in crop protection inputs. Not only is consumption reduced, but the effectiveness of the crop protection measures is also increased.
  • Lower consumption of chemical crop protection products brings farmers closer to the European Commission’s goal of halving the use of these products by 2030.
  • As crop protection products are applied in a targeted and precise manner, fewer chemicals are released into the environment, with only affected areas being sprayed.
  • Finally, the smart spraying protect crops and strengthen their vitality. With fungicides and insecticides, there are fewer overlapping areas at the headland, while with liquid fertilizers, more precise application reduces “burning” of crops.

Critical cornerstone of “Green Productivity”

All the latest applications and variants of smart spraying technologies will be on display at Agritechnica 2023 this November. The exhibition program will be complemented by a technical program with Expert Stages and the special show “DLG Spotlight Smart Farming” in Hall 9, Stand B06, where the topic of smart spraying will be examined in detail.

Digitally assisted application of crop protection products is therefore an important sub-theme of the trade fair’s main theme of “Green Productivity”..

Pulse width modulation as a key enabling technology

Variable Rate Technology (VRT) allows smart spraying systems to automatically adjust the application rate of crop protection products depending on the level of infestation or weed density in a particular area. This results in optimized distribution of chemicals across the entire field.

Many smart spraying applications use pulse width modulation (PWM) to electrically controll the nozzle valves on the boom of the crop protection sprayer, which are switched on and off up to 50 times per second. Each nozzle has the same spray pressure and droplet spectrum, thus PWM adjusts the application rate, like changing the nozzle size during spraying.

Due to the short opening times at constant frequency, the flow rate can be controlled and varied precisely and each nozzle adjusted individually. This is an advantage not only for pinpoint application, but also when cornering, where PWM keeps the quantities on the inside and outside of the turn constant and prevents over- and under-dosing. At the headland, the individual nozzle control reduces gaps or double applications in the case of fields that do not converge at right angles, and when accelerating, the same application rate is applied with the same droplet spectrum, while at slower speeds, for example on slopes, there is no incorrect metering.

Direct feed 

Direct feed, in which the crop protection agent is only added to the water just before it reaches the spray nozzle, is another interesting technology for the targeted, environmentally friendly application of crop protection agents.

Its advantages are compelling: the tank does not have to be cleaned and there are no mixed waste quantities. In addition, with the right technical equipment, different crop protection products can be applied to specific areas as required.

First generation direct-feed systems have not been able to gain acceptance due to demanding cleaning and delays in long spray lines But new solutions promise to solve these problems and enable flexible, on-demand application of crop protection agents.

Spraying on demand

Through site-specific or pinpoint application, the use of herbicides and liquid fertilizers can be significantly reduced. The crop is protected and indeed strengthened, as the application rate is based only on actual needs. In addition, there is environmental benefit, as the areas free of weeds and disease are not treated.

The spraying pattern can be determined in advance, using satellite or drone imagery to generate treatment maps, or dynamically in the field in real-time, through high-resolution cameras, image recognition and artificial intelligence (AI).

Create application maps with drones

Many field sprayers can already use application maps, increasing the dosage to control weed nests, for example. However, satellite-based application maps are often too coarse for this, making targeted crop protection measures difficult or impossible.

The answer to this is drones flying low over the crop, equipped with high-resolution hyperspectral cameras optimized for weed detection. The images are evaluated and an application map created that shows the field sprayer where to start and stop.

Multispectral camera systems can also identify plant diseases but, as the drone flight and the evaluation of the imagery are additional work steps, costing time, this can make timely crop protection more difficult.

Site-specific application of liquid fertilizer can also take advantage of predetermined and dynamic mapping methods, with application determined by yield maps or in real-time using nitrogen sensors.

Real-time weed detection

Where the spraying map is generated by a service provider, the required drone imagery, satellite data and recordings from the tractor must be transferred over the internet and processed in the “cloud”, which takes time.

However, if the spraying system itself has sufficient processing capacity, new options are presented. High-resolution cameras and sensors can be analyzed by AI-based algorithms on powerful on-board computers, enabling, for example, the detection of weeds in real time as the sprayer passes them, which are then treated directly. This high precision in individual plant detection and treatment enables significantly reduced herbicide use.

While any smartphone can already distinguish between individual weeds and crop plants, , doing the same in a field in real-time places high demands on the processing systems, which only increases with travel speed.

Intelligent algorithms can already detect almost any weed, even if it has only just emergedbut these are only treated when a predefined number of weeds per unit area is exceeded and the expected cost of the crop losses exceed the cost of the treatment. One significant challenge remains however, in distinguishing weeds and cereal plants, where some development work is still needed.

Focus on low-vibration spray booms

Weed detection sensors are mounted on the spray boom, which, in order to maximize weed detection performance as well as maintaining a consistent distance between the sprayer nozzle and the ground, must be smoothly and accurately positioned.

This requires active boom guidance and vibration damping to ensure a smooth boom position under difficult terrain conditions and at high travel speeds, despite ever increasing working widths. Oscillations must be avoided not only vertically but also horizontally, i.e. in or against the direction of travel, as this has a particularly strong impact on the accuracy of distribution.

Further development of boom technology will thus play a central role when it comes to further reducing application rates, while maintaining precision and reliability.

Agritechnica 2023: Showcase for latest smart spraying technology

Crop protection technology is becoming increasingly important and not only due to the impact of ever greater precision, up to pinpoint accuracy. This is because spraying needs to be even more targeted in the face of rising costs, increasing political limitations and social resistance to the blanket usage of crop protection.

In the foreseeable future, smart-spraying technologies will be used in practice to keep the area treated to a minimum and to apply crop protection products only where they are needed.

Agritechnica 2023 will reflect the full breadth of these technologies and offer visitors the unique opportunity to gain a comprehensive picture of the state of the art.

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Boost for African agriculture and food production

Boost for African agriculture and food production

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A new private sector-focused Alliance to bridge the critical financing gap in agriculture in Africa has been launched.

The alliance by African Development Bank Group, Afreximbank, Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms, the Islamic Development Bank Group and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization was launched at the 2023 Africa Investment Forum Market Days.

Founding members of a new private-sector focused Alliance for Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) have announced $3 billion in new investment to transform Africa’s underdeveloped rural areas into agro-industrial corridors of prosperity.

The Alliance, comprising development financial institutions, the private sector and development-oriented technical partners, will also help streamline the development and delivery of SAPZ projects.

The new commitments consist of $1.1 billion by the African Development Bank Group, $1 billion by Afreximbank, $300 million by the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB) and $600 million from Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP) and its partners.

Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group, said, “The Alliance will raise funds through various investment windows for project preparation, project development and construction, and financing for tenant companies.”

“By doing so, the Alliance will bridge the critical financing gap, complement existing initiatives, and mobilise resources towards our common goal of enhancing agricultural value addition in Africa”, Adesina added.

The Alliance was launched at the 2023 Africa Investment Forum Market Days — the continent’s premier investment marketplace — in Marrakech, Morocco on Wednesday. During the launch session, founding members discussed how the SAPZ model could impact Africa’s agro-industrialisation process.

“The beauty of this Alliance is that it brings together a lot of different, diverse players — is just a start and others will join us,” said Dr. Beth Dunford, African Development Bank Vice President for Agriculture, Human and Social Development.

Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones stimulate structural transformation in agriculture by connecting rural and urban development through the zone’s ecosystem. These zones integrate smallholder farmers into value chains through logistics and infrastructure, linking them to agro-industrial processors and consumer markets.

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, welcomed the emergence of the Alliance and suggested that, to attract the private sector, the creation of continental regulatory bodies that countries could respect should be considered. “Projects of this nature are very visible,” he explained.

According to the Alliance members, meeting this financing goal will deliver an additional 15 to 20 SAPZ projects in various countries across the continent and improve administrative, policy and investment incentives.

“Financing alone has never been enough to develop,” said Eng. Hani Sonbol, CEO of the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation and acting CEO of the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, representing IsDB President Dr. Muhammad Al Jasser. “Strengthening food sovereignty in Africa will require us to think differently in terms of investment. We look for self-sufficiency, climate change and adaptation, and how to attract private sector involvement”, he said.

Arise IIP CEO Gagan Gupta underlined the need for infrastructure around the zones that reflects the need of these communities, including housing, transportation, health and extension services. “These zones rely on the governments for policy frameworks, supporting infrastructure, and training and vocational centres,” he said.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) brings on its part to the Alliance a wealth of technical assistance knowledge, practical experience, tools and methodologies.

“We have a lot of experience in developing, planning and implementing industrial parks and special economic zones,” said Gunther Beger, UNIDO Managing Director of the Directorate for Sustainable Development Goals, Innovation and Economic Transformation. “The Alliance presents a completely new approach to transform Africa’s agro-food system. This is a much-needed partnership of financial institutions, public and private sector players,” he added.

Across the continent, the African Development Bank has already committed $853 million to develop more than two dozen Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in 11 countries. This investment has attracted $661 million in cofinancing from Bank partners.

Professor Oyebanji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Senior Special Advisor to Dr. Adesina, concluded: “SAPZ is a tool designed to achieve the twin objectives of structural transformation and rural development through agro-industrialisation.”

Prior to the panel discussion, Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, Kingdom of Morocco, called on large private sector companies to become tenants in SAPZ. “You need a company that can bring the others – that integrates this area.”

Rwanda’s Minister of State for Treasury, Richard Tusabe, said: “Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones will give us a chance to mass produce the food we need to feed our population. We need to feed our people — is no shortcut.”

The Africa Investment Forum draws African heads of government, investors, transaction sponsors and development financial institutions. The Forum also includes boardroom sessions that showcase billions of dollars in agribusiness, transport and energy deals, among other critical sectors, to investors.

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