MBA 819 –Technological Disruption and Agrifood

Entrepreneurship

1. General Overview Current trend in agribusiness, Future of

global food demands, the role of
Agricultural Entrepreneurship, agribusiness
opportunities, - technology / finance /
management perspectives.

2. Fundamental Agribusiness
concepts Definitions, major sectors, trend, prospects,
challenges,
Agripreneurship
Agricultural enterprises, Commercialization,
value creation, the business mindset;
profitability, cashflow, revenue, cost,
management, marketing, trading, youth and
women integration
3. Review of
Agribusiness Input supply, production, processing,
Value chain and marketing / trade, regulators, financial
 its disruptions institutions, challenges, reforms
4. Recent Overview of some national & regional
Developments in policies & initiatives, intervention in land
the Agribusiness use & financing, demographic changes &
Industry advantage, agricultural innovations,
international trade promotion, disruptive e-
commerce and digital agribusiness
5. Technological Agricultural Innovation – the evolution of
innovations in agricultural technology, Current trends,
Agribusiness problem solving, agricultural technology
(agritech), ICT, Data analytics, genetic
engineering, the use of microorganisms in
food production, increased automation and
robotics, hydroponics and aquaponics, soil
& water analytics, drone technology,
blockchain, ai
6. Agricultural (AgriTech)-Evolution, proliferation &
Technology adoption, Agritech development, Agritech in
Agric value chain (definitions, types and
characteristics), Long & short-term
Objectives, potentials, challenges, Agritech
disruption, issues
7. Emerging trend in GIS / GPS in Agribusiness, geo-mapping,
 Precision weather forecasting tools, market driven
Agriculture farming, agribusiness risk management
8. Disruptive Agribusiness investments, sources and types
Agricultural of agricultural finance, disruptive financing
finance techniques, comparative profitability of
agricultural investments, Agripreneurship
management accounting, alternative
agricultural financing (angel investors,
crowd funding, equity & partnerships), value
chain financing, loan portfolio management.
9. Developments in Global best practices (becoming a global
International player), overview of international trade-
agribusiness exports/imports, review in international
management standards in agro-outputs
10 Management Managing the peculiarities of agribusiness,
. issues in disruptive resistance, people, finance, operations,
Agripreneurship marketing, networking and collaboration.
 MBA 819 -Technological Disruption and Agrifood Entrepreneurship

 General Overview (current trend in agribusiness, Future of global food demands, the
role of Agricultural Entrepreneurship, agribusiness opportunities),- technology / finance /
management perspectives.
 Fundamental concepts - Agribusiness (definition, major sectors, trend), prospects,
challenges,
Agripreneurship (Agricultural enterprises, Commercialization, value creation, the
business mindset; profitability, cashflow, revenue, cost, management, marketing, trading,
youth and women integration
 Review of Agribusiness Value chain and its disruptions - Input supply, production,
processing, marketing / trade, regulators, financial institutions, challenges, reforms
 Recent Developments in the Agribusiness Industry- overview of some national &
regional policies & initiatives, intervention in land use & financing, demograghic
changes & advantage, agricultural innovations, international trade promotion
 Technological innovations in Agribusiness - Agricultural Innovation – the evolution of
agricultural technology, Current trends, problem solving, agricultural technology
 (agritech), ICT, Data analytics, genetic engineering, the use of microorganisms in food
production, increased automation and robotics, hydroponics and aquaponics, soil & water
analytics, drone technology,
 Agricultural Technology (AgriTech)-Evolution, proliferation & adoption, Agritech
development, Agritech in Agric value chain (definitions, types and characteristics), Long
& short-term Objectives, potentials, challenges, Agritech disruption, issues
 Emerging trend in Precision Agriculture- GIS / GPS in Agribusiness, geo-mapping,
weather forecasting tools, market driven farming, agribusiness risk management
 Disruptive Agricultural finance – agribusiness investments, sources and types of
agricultural finance, disruptive financing techniques, comparative profitability of
agricultural investments, Agripreneur management accounting, alternative agricultural
financing (angel investors, crowd funding, equity & partnerships), value chain financing,
loan portfolio management.
 Developments in International agribusiness management- Global best practices
(becoming a global player), overview of international trade- exports/imports,

Management issues in disruptive agripreneurship – managing resistance, people, finance,

operations, marketing, networking and collaboration.

Agricultural technology (AgriTech) is a form of technological innovation, encompassing

dataconnected devices using information and communications technology, internet and artificial
intelligence, agricultural biochemistry and biotechnology, innovative food and farming, farm
robotics and automation, and smart warehousing and logistics.

AgriTech is primarily a combination of (1) hardware for infield and outfield; (2) software and
applications; (3) data chains for decision support; (4) processes and assimilation and learning; and (5)
monitoring and evaluation.

• The adoption of AgriTech depends on the 3Cs: cost – purchasing a specific AgriTech product
or asset-specific investment necessary to use the product; complexity of the embedded
information and knowledge of a specific AgriTech; and capabilities – the level of skill required
by a user to learn how to use the technology.

• The disruptive potential of AgriTech is on a sliding scale. It can be complementary if it

supplements existing products, processes or business models, or a replacement/substitute if it
displaces existing practices in a sector or value chain and causes behavioural change that
ultimately leads to changes in the underlying norms and culture of society.

• Disruption has varied impacts on actors within value chains, with actors like farmers and
women experiencing disruption in a different way to multinational companies. We create a new
heuristic framework combining the 3Cs and the disruption scale to understand different types of
disruption. This will allow policy-makers to classify the disruptive potential of a technology
accurately and to provide targeted policy support.

• Disruption in AgriTech has the potential to occur through:

(1) increased agricultural productivity in capital and labour;

(2) value addition;

(3) regional trade and cohesion;

(4) skills acquisition and formalisation of jobs;

(5) opportunities for youth and women; and

(6) redistribution of value. If governed properly, AgriTech can deliver increased equity, expand
digital capacities and increase the quality and quantity of jobs.

The driving forces of disruption in Agripreneuship – climate change, global digitization, carbon
emission, global pandemic (caused permanent change to the way we live and do businesses),
growing population 9global population would grow to 9.2billion by 2050, Africa to 2.1billion,
food requirement will grow by 70%, geographical redistribution (Rural – urban migration),
Shifts in funding, ROI, localize /national challenge- insufficient political will power and poor
policy implementation, herdsmen, banditry, insecurity, declining agricultural productivity,
exclusion of women and youth in Agripreneur,
Agriculture account for about 30% of GDP in Africa, employs more than 60% of the population
data analytics, genetic engineering, the use of microorganisms in food production,
increased automation and robotics, and hydroponics and aquaponics.
Managing resistance Agribusiness digital disruption
Value chain component that cannot be moved online – production, it is the driving force of
the entire chain.- Improving yield, reducing cost of production are the major concerns of
production
Long term and short term objectives
Challenges – Data, lack of expertise in digital transformation, infrastructural development,
trading
Agripreneurship means entrepreneurship in agriculture.

It is a process whereby farmers become determined, creative, innovative, willing to take calculated risk,
seize opportunities to improve and expand farm business

Agripreneurship is the profitable fusion of agriculture and entrepreneurship as it turns farm into an
agribusiness.

It is synonym with entrepreneurship in agriculture and refers to agribusiness establishment in

agriculture and allied sector.

Agripreneurship a dynamic process of creating incremental wealth from agricultural sector. The wealth
is created by individuals (Agripreneur) who take the major risks in terms of equity, time and career
commitment of providing value to agricultural products or services.

Agripreneurs are innovators who drive change in the economy by initiating new idea and creating new
ways of carrying out different activities in input supply, production and marketing in agriculture.

Agripreneurship to ensure efficient utilization of available resources and optimum exploitation of

opportunities that abound in the agribusiness value chain.

Qualities- Agripreneurs should be proactive, curious, determined, persistent, visionary, hardworking,

honest, integrity with strong managerial and organizational skills in order to identify and exploit
available opportunities in agricultural value chain

Agripreneur is a risk-taker, opportunist, initiator who deals with uncertainty in the agricultural business
environment. S/he applies the managerial, technical and innovative skills of entrepreneurship in the
field of agriculture to create value for profit purpose.

Policy Issues
Production Technology Issues
Quality and Certification Issues
Logistics and Supply Chain Issues
Human Resource Issues

Agribusiness Technology is the efficient transformation of agribusiness value chain with the aid of
technology

Growths in agribusiness are due to investment in technology. The speed of implementation

of innovations in the sector has grown, bringing increases in productivity and process
efficiency.
New technologies and improved solutions should further contribute to the achievement of
digital agriculture.

The trends in agribusiness technology are:

1- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already gaining ground and should be consolidated alongside
machine learning.

One of the applications of AI in the field happens in relation to diagnostics and predictability.
The technology works by processing data received from agricultural machinery, designing
scenarios, anticipating undesirable situations, and making recommendations in real time for
the machines, in order to avoid waste, promote savings and optimization of productivity.

For the future, technology is expected to better understand the field and its needs,
improving databases, and reading, and increasing accuracy.

2 - Autonomous equipment

The vision of agribusiness factories with assembly of robotic products is already common,
but in the field, this technology is still moving towards a practical application.

There is no shortage of projects by large companies that want to bring autonomy to the
agricultural market through fully automated machinery. Equipment without cabins, controlled
through computers or smartphones, should be a reality soon, resulting in synchronised and
more efficient activities.

3 - Internet of Things and Edge Analytics

The Internet of Things (IoT) is already a trend in agribusiness, especially with sensors and
on-board computers used in agricultural machines and connected to the Internet.

The idea of this new area is to analyse the data collected in the equipment itself, without the
need to send it to a processing centre. In an agricultural spraying activity, for example, the
use of this technology would enable sensory devices to determine alone which area should
be sprayed, using the collected data. The advantage is speed and efficiency

4 - Drones and sensors

Equipment such as sensors and drones should become widespread in this decade. With
these, it is possible to monitor every second of what is done in the rural area and monitor
every centimetre of the plantation.

An example that has grown in this sense is the use of images collected by drones for the
detection of diseases or pests in huge plantations, which allows us to verify where it is really
necessary to act in the application of inputs. The analysis of the behaviour of machines with
sensors also favours the identification of more economical and efficient practices,
supporting companies in improving their activities.

5 - Mobile applications

Another trend that should strengthen the digital transformation in the field is the use of
smartphones and tablets in integration with existing solutions in the agricultural market.

The idea is that information collected by on-board computers, for example, which was
previously transmitted to control centres, can be monitored directly from these mobile
devices. This will facilitate the management and monitoring of processes.

AGRIPRENEURSHIP DYNAMICS

The idea of agripreneurship is complex. When a farmer introduces a new enterprise into his farming
system, there are different stages of development that the enterprise goes through. The skills of the
farmer must also change and develop to meet the management demands of the enterprise. The
development of a farm enterprise as a business occurs in five phases:

• Establishment • Survival • Early growth • Rapid growth • Maturity (and possible decline)

Establishment: The organisation of the business at this stage is usually quite simple. Challenges relate to
market potential, the motivation of the agripreneur, the availability of resources and basic business
skills. Farmers require skills to negotiate with banks and other agencies in order to get the assistance
they need to establish their new enterprise. The key questions are: • How can this become a profitable
business enterprise? • How will it impact on my farm as a whole? • How can I establish a market? • Do I
have enough money to cover the cash demands in setting up the enterprise? During this stage, the
organisation is simple and the agripreneur has to do most everything himself. Many new enterprises do
not survive the first season of production and marketing. Those that do, enter the survival stage.

Survival: Starting a new agribusiness shows that the agripreneur has some entrepreneurial skills.
Surviving the first stage shows that the new enterprise has short-term viability. In the survival stage, the
focus is on the relationship between the income earned and the costs entailed. The key questions are: •
Can I generate enough income to break-even in the short-run and to replace capital equipment? • Can I
generate enough income to expand or diversify production according to market demands to ensure
long-term viability? Many surviving enterprises stay in the survival stage. The farmer will need to
consider if he wants to do the work to keep growing. If he does, he will need to figure out how to build
on the success of the enterprise to move to the next stage.
Early growth: To achieve this, the agripreneur needs to develop a broader product and buyer base while
ensuring that the farm business remains profitable. He must also ensure that farm operations are
efficient, find the information needed for better management and hire more skilled staff to cope with
the increased production, marketing and management activities. While the organisation may still be
simple, growth requires more managerial skills and qualities to cope with the more complex farm
management activities and decisions.

Rapid growth: Once the business is working as a well-integrated farm business, it is in a position where it
can achieve rapid growth. One way to grow is by upscaling. This will give more product to sell. Another
way is to add value to the product by processing it and/ or packaging it. The farm business matures as
the farmer’s entrepreneurial skills mature During the rapid growth stage the agripreneur is likely to have
to delegate some managerial responsibilities.

Maturity (and possible decline): Eventually, the farm business reaches maturity. This means that it stops
growing or expanding. It reaches a point of balance where land size, market opportunities and the scope
of activities are in balance with the skills and vision of the agripreneur. If the enterprises are profitable
and the farm is well managed, the business can be sustained.

What is Agribusiness?

Agribusiness describes all economic activities that are related to farming, i.e., chemicals, breeding, crop
production/farming, farm machinery, distribution, marketing, and sales.

Agribusiness supports the growth of the agricultural industry, which is pivotal to economic growth. It
play a crucial role in the growth of developing countries. Agribusinesses can potentially improve
agricultural productivity, improved system of food security and sustainable food production, as well as
income for a majority of the poor in developing countries.

Innovation in Agribusiness

Innovation is a continuing endeavor among agribusinesses, as the industry seeks improved and efficient
methods of production and processing. For example, many companies now offer drone surveillance of
farms, which gives the farmer/owner insights on the health of crops and helps them to create stock
projections and plan for the future.

In addition, new and improved types of machinery are being engineered and manufactured on a large
scale, such as robotic harvesters, automated pesticide sprayers, and driverless tractors.

Ultimately, the aim of innovation in agribusiness is to improve agricultural productivity and make
agricultural activities easier for farmers. It aims to lower the costs of production and increase
profitability for farmers, who often endure volatile market conditions as crop prices fluctuate with
changing economic conditions.

  

Components of Agribusiness

Some of the components of the agribusiness sector are described below:

 

1. Agrichemicals

Agrichemicals or agrochemicals are the pesticides, fertilizers, and growth chemicals used in the
agricultural process. Today, many agrochemical companies, such as Corteva Agriscience and DuPont,
work to supply the agriculture industry with chemicals and other innovative solutions.

2. Breeding

Breeding refers to the branch of agriculture that focuses on raising animals for food products and/or the
breeding of plant species to produce a genetically-enhanced crop seed.

3. Machinery and Equipment

The machinery and equipment segment of agribusiness is one of the biggest, and it refers to all types of
farm machinery – ranging from hand tools, such as shovels, to tractors. One of the largest agricultural
machinery companies is John Deere, which specializes in providing farming and gardening equipment.

Importance of Agribusiness

Agribusiness supports the growth of the agricultural industry, which is pivotal to economic growth. It
play a crucial role in the growth of developing countries. Agribusinesses can potentially improve
agricultural productivity, improved system of food security and sustainable food production, as well as
income for a majority of the poor in developing countries.

Innovation in Agribusiness

Innovation is a continuing endeavor among agribusinesses, as the industry seeks improved and efficient
methods of production and processing. For example, many companies now offer drone surveillance of
farms, which gives the farmer/owner insights on the health of crops and helps them to create stock
projections and plan for the future.

In addition, new and improved types of machinery are being engineered and manufactured on a large
scale, such as robotic harvesters, automated pesticide sprayers, and driverless tractors.

Ultimately, the aim of innovation in agribusiness is to improve agricultural productivity and make
agricultural activities easier for farmers. It aims to lower the costs of production and increase
profitability for farmers, who often endure volatile market conditions as crop prices fluctuate with
changing economic conditions.

Agric Value Chain

  Post author:Jeffrey Alahira
 Post published:September 26, 2013
 Post category:Introducing Agriculture in Nigeria
 Post comments:1 Comment
Contents  hide 
1 PROBLEMS OF THE NIGERIAN AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN ELEMENTS
1.1 SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN
1.2 FACTORS FOR IMPLEMENTING A SUCCESSFUL AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN
2 REFERENCES
2.1 Like this:
The global problem of food scarcity is exacerbated by the constant increase in population growth, with no
complimenting increase in the output of agricultural produce. Over the years it has become a major focus of
most governments to provide enough food for her citizenry which will in-turn curb the series of social discord
that could emerge if a hunger-crisis breaks out, and create an enabling atmosphere for strategic economic
development by providing the working population with one of the most important physiological needs.
The rapid globalization of the Agricultural markets has led to the generation of new production and
distribution systems, as well as new consumption patterns. One of the objectives of modern agriculture is to
reduce to the barest minimum the problems associated with agricultural loss, wastages and output
underutilization by ensuring an efficient optimization of all the linkages between the producer and final
consumer through the “Value-Chain” concept.
A Value Chain can be defined as a strategic partnership among inter-dependent businesses that collaborate to
progressively create value for the final consumer resulting in a collective competitive advantage*. The basic
characteristic of a Value Chain is market-focused collaboration; different business enterprises working
together to produce and market products and services effectively and efficiently by allowing businesses to
respond to the marketplace through linking production, processing and marketing activities to meet market
demands*.   Agric-food Value Chains are designed to increase competitive advantage through collaboration in
a venture that links producers, processors, marketers, food service companies, retailers and supporting groups
such as shippers, research groups and suppliers*[1]. One of the central ideas of the Agricultural Value Chain
concept is the differentiation of the total agro system and the specialization of each element so as to optimize
the entire system.

Source: https://agrpartners.c
om/

PROBLEMS OF THE NIGERIAN AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN ELEMENTS

It is often said amongst literature groups that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. The Nigerian
Agricultural Value Chain has not been at premium in its performance because of the avalanche of inherent
inefficiencies that characterize the elements.
A typical Nigerian farmer will produce the seeds he needs for his plantings, grow and harvest the crops on his
field, process the harvested crops, market the processed produce and even be the final consumer himself,
promoting thus the saying “Jack of all Trades, Master of None”. There are oftentimes no differentiation of
farming activities which resultantly shields the benefits that could have accrued from trade specializations. The
sustained efficiency in the agricultural industry of the developed nations is hinged on the principle of
specialized diversification through the value chain. Here, each of the producers, processors, marketers and
researchers focuses on his enterprise as one’s output is another’s input, ensuring quality delivery of resources
to the next link without encroaching into other production niches.
In Nigeria, attention is mostly focused on primary production; huge crop turnover/harvest, large flock
management, enormous plantations etc. Nigerians pride themselves in being the world’s largest producer of
cocoa, third largest producer of sorghum, largest producers of yam and cassava, and cultivators of the great
monumental groundnut pyramid. The enigmatic question here is: despite our seemingly agricultural feats, why
is the agricultural industry not regarded as developed? Production efficiency which could have been realized
from the processing of our massively harvested crops is lost; for example cocoa beans are exported
unprocessed and are transformed into varied products such as beverages, chocolate bars and candies to
mention but a few which are in turn imported into the country and sold to us at increased prices.  Appreciable
economic gains will accrued to the nation if there are policies to guide against exporting raw crop produce;
which will strengthen the value addition process and encourage investment in such areas of the economy.
The utility of time, place and standardization has not been fully exploited in the Nigerian agro-industry, which
happens to be one of the core functions of marketing. Our major pitfall is on the issue of packaging and
standardization which has ousted us from the global market to our own economic detriment. Effective
packaging adds value to produce, enables traceability, enhances standardization, and provides feedback
thereby gaining the confidence of customers. In developed nations, Universal Product Code(UPC) which is a
set of 12 numerical digits for scanning of trade items are often assigned to local or imported produce to aid
control of quality, pest and disease, traceability and hence feedback.
Governments all over the world are interested in the potential of value chains to develop agriculture and
contribute to food security, and this has been on the rising since the 2008’s global food crisis[2]. Nigeria
through the Agricultural Transformation Agenda has currently implemented policies to strengthen the players
of the value chain mix and revolutionize agriculture as a business entity. Agricultural value chains hold
considerable promise in reducing poverty and promoting inclusive growth when the poor and other marginal
groups participate in them. Under the right conditions, value chains can move smallholder farmers from
subsistence into commercial agriculture.
SCHEMATIC REPRESENTATION OF AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN
 
 Source: SENCE Agric

FACTORS FOR IMPLEMENTING A SUCCESSFUL AGRICULTURAL VALUE CHAIN

1. Enabling Environment: Nigeria has over the years tried to revamp agriculture using different
approaches to boost production. However, recent developmental programs are geared towards
maximizing income not only on production but also on processing and other areas, (Agricultural
value chain). For the effectiveness of the Agricultural value chain, an enabling environment
through national policies, regulations, and supporting institutions are a prerequisite. Policy reforms
relevant to the value chain approach focused on the following should be considered
 Increasing private sector participation,
 The quality and safety standards of agricultural products,
 Improving institutional and financial frameworks.
 Promoting national policies that support the agricultural sector; by reducing barriers to inputs,
increasing access to finance and providing incentives.
2.      Credit and financial support: Access to credit is a pivotal requirement for all value chain stakeholders,
including small-scale processors and retailers, storage operators, and traders. Access to credit will boost small
entrepreneurs, for instance, to buy processing or packaging equipment, develop storage facilities, and
differentiate products. Getting access to credit and financing agricultural ventures in Nigerian Banks is not
business friendly due to the nature of Agriculture; being a long term investment.
3.      Infrastructure:  creating and rehabilitating rural roads focused on linking areas with a competitive
advantage to markets can help form competitive value chains. This approach relates to a key aspect of
promoting value chains by linking high-value crop production areas to strategic commercial markets. The aim
is to reduce transition duration and ensure timely supply of both inputs and outputs to preserve the quality of
Agricultural product. Other supporting infrastructure, such as storage facilities and transport logistics, would
also increase selling options and contribute to benefits that accrue from rural roads. Investors are open to
partner with stakeholders in providing transport and logistics services and other important infrastructural
development.
4.      Technology: There is need for constant innovation and technological inputs in the value chain elements
to raise productivity, reduce costs, and stay competitive. Innovation requires experimentation, incubation, and
eventually adaptation to develop and maintain competitiveness. This should be a continuous process involving
stakeholders at every point in the chain to improve productivity, product quality, information transfer,
processing, and marketing processes. Nigeria is yet to maximize technological input for Agricultural
development, (ICT) which could offer a huge return and save appreciable amount of cost. For examples
development of software to simplify farm management, handle routine processes among others.
5.      Markets: Addressing market-information issues and support for key market drivers such as product
differentiation will enable value chain stakeholders to develop products that respond to market needs. Product
differentiation is a key value chain element in increasing competitiveness. Example, technical assistance on the
Marketing Support for Organic Produce focused on maintaining product quality through packaging and
appropriate storage and farm-gate to market transport logistics. This provides the basis for supporting a
branding campaign. Improving market access through capacity building and training inputs such as workshops,
trade fairs promotion collaborations between producers and processors will help in building basic business
skills and to improve management and operation of small and medium enterprises.
6.      Market Information: Market information must be delivered on time for it to be useful. Approaches for
getting timely price information for improving the negotiating position of producers with traders and
processors. A wider range of information is needed, beyond prices, in areas such as inventories of agribusiness
opportunities, and identifying markets and technology links for new and existing products. The private sector
plays a more responsive role to farmer–market information needs. Owing to the vast nature of information
required by different individuals in the value chain, the area of information management proves to be a good
investment opportunity for investors to manage and allow easy access to end users.
7.      Organizations: The development of organizations that have the critical mass to provide
structure for governance is pivotal to the development of value chains. The World Banks’
Agriculture for Development report makes the case for organizations of key stakeholders in
agricultural development in general and value chains in particular[3]. The report argues that
organizations form a major part of institutional reconstruction, and can use collective action and
links to strengthen the position of smallholders in the markets. Organizations can contribute to
value chains by strengthening their bargaining power to reduce transaction costs, and give poor
and vulnerable groups a voice in the policy process. To do this, organizations must be able to act
as vehicles of change and be able to network through well-developed links. This will also need
some form of institutional governance to promote member confidence and solidarity, and build
capacity for activities such as credit management[4]
8.      Private Sector Participation: Encouraging private sector participation requires clarity
about the roles of government and the private sector. Fostering interaction through public–
private partnerships requires identification of opportunities and the development of commercial
models for effective participation of both sectors. This is what Nigeria hope to achieve using the
Agric-value chain approach to commercialize Agriculture as a business investment. Successes
recorded on the E-wallet programme under the Growth Enhancement Support scheme of the
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to replace the old fertilizer and seedlings
distribution method, which the Federal Government handled through middlemen, states and local
governments as shown that public-private partnership is the engine to revolutionize Agriculture
in Nigeria. Investors are therefore encouraged to look for areas in the value-chain to partner with
government and come out with framework to stimulate business drives in the value chain.
9.      Inclusion of the Poor: The agricultural value chain approach can provide opportunities for
the poor. Because the main aim of value chains is to generate profit, the means for achieving this
can conflict with the inclusion of the poor, who generally lack the skills and expertise to produce
for high-value markets. However, with good policies to support the poor through capacity
building, the value chain can serve a means of empowering the poor and creating jobs. This is
one of the areas developing countries like Nigeria are hoping to bank on for the creation of more
jobs. The inclusion of marginal groups in value chain development has largely been based on
support for production. It introduced a staged approach for inclusion, which aimed to gradually
increase the skills and capacity of producers so that they could participate in commercial supply
chains with the possibility that value chains would evolve.
Modern agricultural value chains usually offer wages and self-employment with better pay and working
conditions than the traditional agriculture.  A comprehensive approach is required by the public-private
partnership to identify key constraints to agriculture value chain development and adopt a workable policy,
regulatory, and institutional reforms to address key constraints for agricultural value chain development.
The multiplier effects of the success of Agricultural value chain on the Nigerian economy is far
enormous, with the current agricultural income of the country, put at N15 trillion as against the
potential value of about N40 trillion[5]. Nigeria could pride herself as an investment hub in
Agriculture and put the nation back to limelight as an agrarian nation.
REFERENCES
 

[1]  *Sourced and adapted from Government of Alberta, Agriculture and Rural Development

[2]ADB. 2013, Learning Lessons Agricultural Value Chains for Development Independent Evaluation
Department at the Asian Development Bank
[3]World Bank. 2008. Agriculture for Development Washington, DC.
[4]Independent Evaluation Department.2012.Support for Agricultural Value Chain Development. Manila.
ADB.J. Bijman and G. Ton. 2008. Capacity. 34. p. 4
[5]Culled from:Thisdaylive.com Nigerian Agric is Worth N15 tr

Sensor technologies available today monitor every aspect of agriculture, from aerial imagery to
cattle movement to micro-climate data collection to even telling producers the precise pH level
of the soil.

The application of sensor technology is just scratching the surface, and will continue to provide
producers more precise data in order to make better, more informed decisions, ensuring their
production remains sustainable.

2. Irrigation

Irrigation is a critical part of food production, and producers continue to look for ways to make
the absolute best use — and least amount — of water. Technology has made significant headway
in making irrigation practices more efficient and more sustainable.

“Wireless remote monitoring and control systems enable farmers to gain better control and
visibility over the operations of their irrigation systems, and to make better decisions regarding
water, chemical and electrical usage,” according to Sandro Esposito, with SignalFire Wireless
Telemetry, a company that sells wireless crop and irrigation control systems.
3. Drones

The use of drones in agriculture will continue to grow and evolve as producers harness this very
powerful technology in various aspects of their production. Drones can carry a wide array of
sensors and cameras that can continually monitor crop growing conditions. “Initially used for
chemical spraying, today drones are a great tool for capturing aerial imagery with platform-
mounted cameras and sensors,” says Ines Hajdu, agronomy expert with Agrivi. “Images can
range from simple visible-light photographs to multi-spectral imagery that can be used to assess
different aspects of plant health, weeds and assets.”

4. Biotechnology

There’s no question that the advent of biotechnology has had a profound effect on agriculture. It
has become a tool available to crop breeders who can now develop plants with specific traits.
And while crop breeding has been a part of agriculture for centuries, biotechnology allows for
faster and more precise breeding methods. According to the International Food Information
Council Foundation, “In addition to fighting the environmental stresses of disease and pests,
researchers in both academia and industry are currently working on developing crops that use
water more efficiently to help with growth in drought conditions.”

Additionally, CRISPR technologies, which are used to edit genes, could be used to improve yield
and disease tolerance in crops. According to the International Service for the Acquisition of
Agri-biotech Applications, “Early studies using CRISPR – Cas9 for gene editing have focused
on crops important for agriculture. It was realized early on that the system could be used in crops
to improve traits, such as yield, plant architecture, plant aesthetics and disease tolerance.”
Biotechnology also has many potential applications in animal agriculture. “Since the early 1980s,
transgenic animals have been created with increased growth rates, enhanced lean muscle mass,
enhanced resistance to disease or improved use of dietary phosphorous to lessen the
environmental impacts of animal manure,” says the North Carolina Association for Biomedical
Research.

5. Fleet Management
Advanced telemetry systems and GPS have positively affected fleet management in agriculture.
The most basic systems can locate equipment in use. More advanced systems can give precise
information, including engine speed, fuel usage and upcoming maintenance, and give immediate
alerts. But that’s not all: the collection of data can then be analyzed to identify where specific
crop inputs are needed and where they are not, for example. The goal, ultimately, is to make the
most efficient use of equipment.

Wireless remote monitoring and control systems enable farmers to gain better control and
visibility over the operations of their irrigation systems, and to make better decisions regarding
water, chemical and electrical usage.