With the current reality of climate change, sustainable agriculture practices are critical to ensuring food security. In Nigeria, frequent droughts and high temperatures are having a negative impact on maize production. This is further compounded by farmers’ struggle to access information (such as weather advisory and good agricultural practices) and financing (such as loans and insurance) they need to transform their operations and build resilience.
Crop2Cash supports farmers facing drought conditions to adapt their farming practices through climate-smart farming content and to manage financial risks through their digital marketplace, connecting farmers to high-yield, drought-resistant maize seeds via USSD. To date, Crop2Cash has reached over 500,000 smallholder farmers and unlocked $2.8 million in credit for farmers and, as a result, farmers have reported a 70% increase in income.
Not enough extension agents to cater to the market
There are over 30 million smallholder farmers in Nigeria (approximately 20% of the country’s population) and according to CGIAR, 93% of smallholder farmers in Nigeria struggle to access reliable agricultural information. This is where traditionally extension agents play a critical role as the bridge between research and farmers, however there are not enough extension agents to support the vast population of farmers in Nigeria.
The ideal ratio of extension agents to farmers should be one extension agent to 10-50 farmers, unfortunately, the stark reality is very different. In Nigeria, on average, one extension agent is responsible for providing information and collecting feedback from 10,000 farmers. This challenge results in low productivity, increased pest and disease incidences, and the ineffective use of farm inputs that directly affect the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
Democratising access to information with Artificial Intelligence (AI)
On 3 July 2024, Crop2Cash launched the National Hotline for Agriculture to help smallholder farmers close the knowledge gap and provide equitable access to information.
The AI-powered Interactive Voice Response (IVR) solution is an innovative tool that combines artificial intelligence with voice-based communication.
1. Voice Interaction
Smallholder farmers can call a designated toll-free phone number to access the IVR system. They interact with the system using their voice and in their local language, without needing a smartphone or internet connection.
2. Automated Advisory
The IVR system gives personalised agricultural advice to farmers. It covers topics such as crop management, weather forecasts, pest control, and best practices which is sourced from historical agricultural data collected from Nigerian farmers through local partners such as the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and supplemented by publicly available datasets from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The advice is tailored to the specific needs of each farmer based on their location, crop type, and other relevant factors.
3. AI Algorithms
Behind the scenes, the system uses AI algorithms to analyse data. It considers historical weather patterns, soil conditions, and crop-specific requirements. The AI adapts its recommendations over time, learning from user interactions and feedback.
1. Multilingual support
The IVR system can communicate in multiple languages, making it accessible to farmers with diverse linguistic backgrounds. Currently the solution is available in Yoruba, Hausa, and English with plans to add 10 more languages this year.
2. Scalability
Since it runs over voice, the solution can reach farmers across remote areas regardless of their device. It bridges the digital divide by providing valuable information to those who do not have internet access.
3. Feedback loop
Farmers can have a two-way conversation with the AI in real-time. They can provide feedback or ask questions during the call. This helps improve the system’s accuracy and relevance. It also helps unlock valuable data and information for agricultural research.
Agricultural Intelligence powered by AI
According to the AI for Africa: Use cases delivering impact 97% of use cases are Predictive AI models, as such, Crop2Cash’s National Hotline for Agriculture is part of a select few Generative AI models in Africa. The solution aims to empower farmers, enhance productivity, and build resilience in the face of climate challenges.
Artificial Intelligence is also a key priority for the government of Nigeria as they seek to position the country as one of the global leaders in the development and regulation of the technology. In August 2024, the government released a national AI strategy as a roadmap and framework for how to harness the technology and have a positive impact on society (i.e. enhance welfare and quality of life). Agriculture is one of the critical sectors named in the strategy. This suggests Crop2Cash may be well positioned to contribute to the national agenda and the AI-powered IVR advisory solution could be a promising step toward sustainable agriculture in Nigeria.
Next Steps
Now that the service has been launched the priority and focus will be on driving up the adoption across Nigeria and on continuous product development. From the beta testing across 3 Nigerian states (Kaduna, Niger, and Oyo), the early indications suggest the:
– multilingual support is a valued feature.
– service has been able to give relevant advice for maize and cassava cultivation.
– post call information retention is helpful. This allows farmers to review and reference the advice they received.
Further enhancements are still needed and Crop2Cash continue to work to refine the solutions capabilities around pest management advice, improving speech rate and clarity, adapting the language to local dialects, and providing a greater depth of information.
As the solution becomes more mature, and adopts more languages, the possibility to unlock and activate new markets that have a similar extension agent challenge could be transformative for the agricultural sector in Africa.
The GSMA supported Crop2Cash in November 2022 to connect farmers to high-yielding drought-resistant seeds via USSD, to provide tailored SMS weather advisory to smallholder farmers on best agricultural practices and to develop the National Hotline for Agriculture.
This initiative is currently funded by UK International Development from the UK government and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
