Smart Farming- Information Access to the Smallholder Farmer

Agriculture has undergone a series of revolutions that have driven efficiency, yield and profitability to levels previously unattainable. This included the introduction and implementation of mechanization between 1900 and 1930; the green revolution of the 1960s that saw the development of new, more resistant crop varieties and the use of agro-chemicals; and the rise in genetic modification from 1990 to 2005.
10,000 years of agricultural evolution can be largely grouped into just four development eras: Paleothic (early domestication of plants and animals), Antiquity (roughly the 2000 years BCE, in which more efficient farming systems were developed), the Modern Era (roughly 1700 to 1900 when mechanization and fertilizers emerged) and the Green Revolution (1930s-60s, when transformative crop genetics and fertilization practices developed).
Smart farming technologies offers agriculture value chain professionals the tools to reduce costs, maximize yields and profits, and thereby increasing efficiency in the process.

There is perhaps no better example of smart farming than with the mobile app. The influx of cheaper Smartphones on the global market has made it possible for farmers in rural areas of developing Economies to own such devices which has become a game changer for on-the-go growers and ag retailers, enabling them to perform critical tasks wherever and whenever they need it.

“There is a huge opportunity to digitize lots of other processes in agriculture,” says Rob Dongoski, EY Global Agribusiness Leader. “The new era’s farmer is much better versed in technology, and some are even digital natives.
Digital technologies can support farmers in providing safe, sustainable and quality food. Not only do they help farmers “produce more with less”, but they can also contribute to fighting climate change.

There a several apps in the smartphone app eco-system that are tailored to the needs of farmers in advanced and developed economies that are unable to meet the needs of the local farmer in rural West Africa.

Although the digitisation of the farming sector comes with many benefits, and a number of actions and instruments have already been implemented around the world, barriers to realise its full potential across the globe still exist.
To bridge the gap and to offer opportunities for the non-formally educated farmers to utilise the advantages of these technological advancement, we consider “FarmTalk”.
FarmTalk is a smartphone app designed to run on even the smartphone with the least of hardware resources including storage and processing power.
Leveraging on the inbuilt GPS capabilities of modern smartphones, the FarmTalk offers the user the opportunity to map and measure field sizes for efficient planning and measurement of seed and other planting material quantities.

Additionally, users are able to access information on soil types and best crops for the types at particular geographical areas.
FarmTalk link farmers to expects such as Extension Officers, Research Scientists, Veterinary Service Providers and Policy Makers. The feature allows the user to report issues adversely affecting their operations and get feed from an expert.

Marketers and Aggregators are linked to producers through the app. It helps agronomists and farmers collaborate on farming decisions by making field data accessible and easy to collect,
Research finding as well as information on good agricultural practice (GAPS) are made available to users through FarmTalk.

Unlike most apps available in the smartphone app eco-system, FarmTalk communicates with the user through audio instead of text.
What could be the use of written information if the target audience cannot read? This is one reason why the app uses audio to output information to the user. The app uses simple to understand symbols for commands and inputs as well as acceptance of audio commands.