Emerging Technologies will drive Youth Inclusion in Agriculture – NITDA Boss

The Nigerian government says the adoption of  emerging technologies in the agricultural sector will drive youth inclusion which will in turn create jobs opportunities and wealth.

The Director General, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Mr. Kashifu Inuwa stated this at the Symposium, organized by Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), in Jigawa State,NorthWest, Nigeria in collaboration with Islamic World Educational, Science and Cultural Organization, Morocco.

The event which is  themed “The Future of Smart Agriculture and the Role of Emerging Technologies in Achieving the SDGs,” brought together experts to discuss ways that will hitherto encourage smart agriculture, and showcased beneficiaries of the National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA) from Federal University Dutse.

Inuwa, who was represented by Dr Aminu Lawal, highlighted the significant strides made in the field of smart farming, which combines the power of data and computing technologies to enhance the efficiency and predictability of farming operations.

He said, every sector and industry has been impacted by digital revolution, and agriculture is not an exception. According to him, agriculture has witnessed shifts from primitive farming to mechanized farming and now in the digital or smart farming era.

According to the NITDA Boss, in smart farming, the focus is on capturing data and interpreting them using computing technologies to make farm operations more predictable and efficient.

Inuwa stated that Digital technologies have been recognized as one of the critical enablers of agriculture transformation for increased food production to meet the global challenge of feeding this population and accelerate the achievement of goal number two, zero hunger, in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He stressed the need to increase the production and profitability of farmers,  the impact of agriculture intervention to  attract youths into agribusinesses.

“Agriculture, if properly harnessed and technologies and innovations effectively introduced, the sector remains the number one sector for taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years and creating large well-paying jobs for Nigerian youths”.

Inuwa further said that NITDA in its effort to facilitate digitization of the agriculture sector developed the Nigeria Digital Agriculture Strategy (NDAS) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and key stakeholders.

The vision of the strategy is to make Nigeria the top three (3) most food-secure countries in Africa and the top 20 largest exporters of standard agricultural produce by 2030 through the use and application of digital technologies and innovations.

In an attempt to further digitise the agriculture sector, address those obvious challenges, exploit the opportunities and accelerate economic growth, the Agency came up with National Adopted Village for Smart Agriculture (NAVSA).

NAVSA is a technology and innovation-driven agricultural initiative aimed at addressing low agriculture productivity, inappropriate financing strategy, and repayment difficulties through the introduction of closed and open wallet systems on mobile payment platforms.

He added that since its launch, its implementation and sustainability models, NAVSA continued to attract the attention of key players in the Agricultural ecosystem in line with global best practices.

Inuwa also noted that the Agency partnered with universities for the implementation of NAVSA to shape and model new generation of agriculturists to become smart farmers.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Armaya’u Hamisu-Bichi, said that the theme resonated deeply in their quest for innovation, efficiency and sustainability within the agricultural sector.

He said “In an era where our world is confronted with numerous challenges ranging from population growth to climate change, it is imperative to harness the potential of emerging technologies”.

According to him, smart agriculture, which integrates cutting-edge technologies such as Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and data analytics has the power to revolutionize farming practices, increase productivity, optimize resource management and enhance overall efficiency.

“It is through collective efforts and comprehensive strategies that we can attain this delicate equilibrium, fostering harmonious coexistence between agricultural production and environmental preservation,” he added.