Can Digital Technology save African Agriculture?

As the world’s second most populous continent — behind Asia — but the first in terms of demographic growth, Africa has long faced serious difficulties in meeting the food needs of its peoples. Climatic conditions make agriculture particularly difficult, and the prospect of ongoing climate change is in danger of worsening the situation in many African regions. There is probably no miracle solution that can make the continent self-sufficient in foodstuffs, but, as this article by Jean-Michel Huet and Ludovic Morinière shows, the technological development and innovation of recent decades could help to better adapt African agriculture to the needs of its populations. In particular, advances in digital technology and the development of platforms for the agricultural sector could help in the structuring of many agricultural sectors. The authors show how this could come about, presenting four scenarios on the impact digital technology could have on African agriculture in the years to 2050, in terms of both jobs and incomes.