dyton mupawaenda
Obert Chifamba-Agri-Insight
IT is time we all acknowledge that the current digitalisation craze sweeping across the globe has the power to transform the agricultural production landscape by accelerating the rolling out of key processes by various value chain players such as input distributors, producers off takers and retailers.
Essentially, this explains why Government recently decided to introduce the electronic registration of farmers that are getting support under its Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme.
The idea was to add impetus and transparency to the input distribution process with the ultimate goal of raising the incomes of smallholder farmers through increased crop output, which would also culminate in the attainment of food security on both household and national levels.
Besides being used in the distribution of inputs, the data base can easily become a crucial tool for managing the inventories of emergency food-relief stocks in Government storage facilities.
When used as part of a national agricultural-transformation programme, digital tools can be very useful, for instance, an e-wallet can help increase affordability of inputs by efficiently distributing subsidies to farmers.
On the one hand, it is fast becoming apparent that present day precision agriculture warrants the use of automated systems for managing farm data and associated attributes given that digital technologies have the power to transform agriculture by capacitating farmers to work more precisely, efficiently and sustainably.
The Government’s position on digitalising agriculture has been clear — the sector has to be modernised to perform effectively and more productively in line with the prevailing global trends.
It is not surprising, therefore, that it has moved to actualise the policy with the introduction of the electronic registration system heralding the dawning of a new era that will see farmers employing technological innovations to do orderly agricultural production from the planning through to production and marketing processes.
The electronic system will replace the manual way of capturing data on input distribution with emphasis on removing hurdles to productive farming, for instance, challenges stemming from abuse of inputs that trigger delays in distribution or even shortages.
All these challenges effectively become noticeable through poor performance by farmers.
Digitalising agricultural processes has the advantage of saving money and time.
Where it usually takes hours to scour through billions of documents and organise data according to different types and alphabetical order, for example, the computer will only require a few minutes.
Automated data extraction and entry solutions speed up the document processing workflow, thus ensuring that farmers can quickly access services and go to and focus on what matters most to them — production.
One interesting thing about the Government’s decision on electronic registration of farmers is that it is feeding into the drive to commercialise everything farmers are doing en route to turning them into serious business people.
The process will also pave the way for farmers’ adoption of other modern practices and use of implements that make operations easier and more efficient than manual options.
But crux of the matter is that it will help fool proof the input distribution process against abuse by unscrupulous individuals who have been taking advantage of loopholes littering manual processes, especially to do with documenting information and the input distribution process itself.
This is despite the numerous calls by Government and other stakeholders for the distribution process to be done transparently to ensure all deserving citizens benefit and contribute towards attaining food security.
It is exciting to note that Government is leading by example in embracing modern technologies meant to make farming operations easy.
The electronic route the country is now following will see data being captured automatically and saved in a database, making it easier for employees to quickly gather, organise and store it.
Such data can be readily availed just through the click of a button and any person anywhere who is authorised to access it can do so in real time.
This is different from the manual version of doing business, which would involve physical records that need to be stored safely and moved in the event that someone somewhere needs to see them.
This is a tedious process that is costly in terms of time and financial resources as well.
Electronic data capturing is a cost-effective way of gathering information once the online form is built and in place.
Those seeking information can easily incentivise respondents to fill out forms and work gets underway quickly in the interest of progress.
The other advantage with online processes is that they can even be done offline and will be automatically be saved in the database once network is available.
Storing data electronically also guarantees its safety and minimises chances of it being tampered with, for instance, when someone has vile intentions, they will need to be authorised to access the data, which will make it easy to trace the origin of a query should there be one.
Data analysis is also faster compared to paper work, while capturing is done in real time.
Manipulation of data is not always easy on the electronic platform, as there are chances of other users on the platform noticing disparities compared to manual records that can be easily destroyed through man-made incidents.
Government’s move to adopt electronic registration will also add impetus to the process, as it subtracts the drudgery that comes with physical writing and moving of stationery.
It means farmers can be served as soon as they come and will not need to wait as service providers search for documents that may be at the bottom of huge piles of paperwork or could have been misplaced.
The only problem that may come with the adoption of the online option is that some people will find themselves without jobs as there will be no need for many hands at work.
Inevitably, there has to be some casualties coming through as collateral damage just like in any revolution.
This transformation through the agriculture sector is bound to be accompanied by sacrifices, some of which may be unpalatable to some people.
The redeeming fact here is that the positives associated with digitalisation outweigh the negatives, which becomes a plus for agriculture. It will not require rocket science for anyone to realise that data-driven insights can improve decision-making and practices while helping environmental performance and making farming jobs more attractive to the youth demographic of the population.
Until recently, youths have not been actively involved in agriculture and the drudgery that comes with manual processes is one of the reasons for that.
That aside, digital technologies are also known to give consumers greater transparency as to how their food is produced and open opportunities to renew business models in value chains by connecting producers and consumers in innovative ways.
They are also key in making rural communities more attractive, smart and sustainable and reduce problems related to remoteness while improving access to services.
Online Reporter