Microsoft has been partnering with public and private organisations to develop systems that support better policy making around agriculture. This is made clear by the number of organisations working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives (MALFC) in Kenya to bring state of the art technology to their farming communities.
Approximately 70% of Africans rely completely on an agricultural income. But with a growing global population and mounting pressure to double outputs by the year 2050, growers continue with the struggle of keeping up with the demand. Faced with challenges such as outdated methods and equipment, climate change and destructive plagues, growers are facing odds stacked against them.
Luckily, technology is ushering in change. Powering a new era of farming, agritech solutions from all over the world are seeing unprecedented investment – with start-ups growing 110% in the past two years, and showing no sign of slowing down.
On an international scale, Microsofts Global Entrepreneurship Programme is supporting the most capable agritech start-ups from around the world. In helping small-scale growers create economic identities for themselves, access profitable markets and limit damage to their crops, it is rallying together in an effort to get another step closer to fulfilling Africa’s agricultural promise.
Source: news.microsoft.com