| Felix Kariuki
Africa Food Systems mainly comprises of two actors, production and market, unlike food systems in advanced economies where research and development of aggregation, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal systems carry a higher percentage.
For this to be achieved, there needs to be a shift in the learning systems present.
Unfortunately, due to the poverty notion associated with farming most Agriculture graduates never end up practicing knowledge gained over the years. Owing to financial pressures, they opt for more promising careers. The sector thus ends up losing the input of young innovative minds, slowing down much-needed growth and development.
For growth to be realized in Africa's agriculture sector there is an urgent need to change the farming poverty narrative and attract the youth back into the sector. The interrelation between agriculture and other sectors needs to be clearly drawn and built upon.
GIS for example is key to increased farm production and maximum land use. Apps that provide weather predictions, inform farmers of soil content, provide farmers with pest and disease control information, or provide financial, insurance services and market linkage would make a big difference in the sector.