Cellulant, an African fintech building payment and agri-tech solutions, has launched ‘The Agrikore Risk Review’ to stir conversations on how Africa can scale Agriculture through technology.
Cellulant’s Review, launched as the world grapples with an ongoing health crisis whose impact is devastating global economies, aims to help firms and individuals and government agencies to scale agriculture in order to avert a looming food crisis.
“Millions of Africans especially small-scale farmers and children from poor families can ill-afford the additional disruptions that COVID-19 may inflict on their livelihoods. Said Solomon Abiakkalam, Chief Risk & Compliance Officer, Cellulant. In Cellulant, we believe scaling Agriculture through Agritech is Africa’s best fighting chance to stand on its feet as concerns continue to mount on how long Africa’s Agricultural sector can stay above the devastating impacts of the pandemic”.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that more than 820 million people around the world are already experiencing chronic hunger with 113M relying on humanitarian aid to survive. The Agrikore Risk Review is a 24-page publication that has explored themes such as; Smart farming, the impact of COVID-19 on Agriculture supply in Nigeria, the potential risk in Agri-value chain business & mitigating measures.
The Review will be a quarterly publication targeted at critical Agri-tech stakeholders such as innovators, investors, private sector farmers, financial institutions, agricultural research organizations, governmental agriculture departments, NGOs and donor organizations. It aims to stimulate solutions that work among those who make an integral part of the agriculture industry.
As governments continue to put measures in place to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are mounting concerns as to how long the Agricultural sector can withstand the devastating impacts as a result of sweeping restrictions on commercial and social activity. The global food system is being tested in countless ways that are putting a strain on all the primary actors in the complex food supply web that involves; producers (mostly small scale farmers), input suppliers, transport and logistics companies. That there is also a locust outbreak affecting East Africa which, according to the UN, is destroying food for 35,000 people in a single day is a clear indication that a food crisis is on the horizon.
The Review proposes ways in which governments in partnership with private sector stakeholders can mitigate a potential food crisis. These include instigating welfare policies, supporting delivery of fresh food using digital tools, special grants to local farmers to ensure steady demand for agricultural products, reducing trade-related costs among other measures.
