Solidaridad Southern Africa is calling for the Building Resilience in Agri-system Investments as a means of exploring the transformative role of youth-led digital solutions in Southern Africa’s agricultural landscape. Solidaridad shed the light on the topic during the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) 2024, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda from 4-6 September 2024.
“It is time to unpack how bundled services, such as soil testing, weather data, insurance, and financial products, delivered through digital platforms, are improving access to essential services for smallholder farmers. This model provides a scalable and efficient approach to strengthening agricultural systems, making these services more affordable and accessible. Solidaridad aims to demonstrate the potential of digital platforms to revolutionize agriculture across Africa,” opined Shungu Kanyemba the Managing Director for Solidaridad Southern Africa while speaking to the media at the Kigali International Convention Centre in Rwanda.
Emphasizing the importance of digital solutions in fostering agricultural resilience, Kanyemba said that Solidaridad believes that the future of African agriculture lies in leveraging innovative digital tools. The mission is to empower smallholder farmers with the resources and services they need to enhance their productivity and incomes while ensuring that these solutions are sustainable and inclusive. By prioritizing youth and women, he added that it is possible to accelerate progress toward a food-secure future.
During the forum, Solidaridad showcased the success of it’s bundled services model in enhancing the productivity and resilience of smallholder farmers. The bundled service model facilitates partnerships between farmers, businesses, and governments, fostering a supportive business ecosystem that drives progress in African agriculture.
Solidaridad says that digital platforms can deliver affordable services to farmers hence the need to highlight the scalability and efficiency of bundled services for farmers and service providers as Data-driven digital tools can support better monitoring and decision-making.
“Digital tools not only streamline access to essential services but also enable better data collection and monitoring. This empowers African countries to track agricultural progress and make informed decisions for policy development. We are proud to contribute to innovations that are making a tangible difference in the lives of farmers across the continent,” said Candice Kroutz-Kabongo the Digital Innovations Lead for Solidaridad.
