Smallholder farmers across Africa have said catalytic financing and technology have boosted their productivity as well as increased their incomes.

At the Africa Food Systems (AFS) Forum themed, ‘Innovate, Accelerate and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era’, held in Kigali, Rwanda, the farmers explained the impact of financing to stakeholders in the sector.

“Climate change can result in catastrophic losses for smallholder farmers, and we must work hard to close some of these gaps. For example, in Africa, we have seen cases where a whole village is wiped out by floods,” Lekan Tobe, Nigeria’s country director, Heifer International, said.

“This is why we, especially for smallholder farmers, prioritise removing some of these pain points. We can do more if we work together,” he added.

The smallholder farmers are partners of Heifer International, a global nonprofit organisation, which leverages technology and innovation and works with key government, development partners, and local communities to end hunger and poverty.

Speaking to leaders at the event, Adesuwa Ifedi, vice president for African Programmes, Heifer International, gave insights on the role of digital solutions in revolutionising Africa’s agriculture.

Smallholder farmers within Heifer’s ecosystem shared the impact on their incomes of the various initiatives led by the nonprofit and its partners.

“A heavy flood came in 2021 and my one hectare of farm was wiped out. Then Heifer and its partners came to Benue State and compensated those of us who had signed up for the insurance scheme,” Gbukka said, as she shared the impact the organisation has made in her life.

“That money helped me purchase inputs for the next farming season. In 2022, I progressed to 10 hectares. Today, I have 15 hectares of rice farm. In two weeks, I’ll start harvesting. The tractors’ scheme helped me a lot to increase productivity, then the insurance scheme helped me avoid bankruptcy.”

Similarly, members of the Dwaniro Dairy Farmers Cooperative Limited, one of the farming cooperatives the organisation works with in Uganda, told the Kigali conference about the huge impact that renewable energy investments had made on their incomes.

“Since Heifer came in and supported us with the use of solar components,” Charles Ibona, general manager of the cooperative’s processing plant, said. “It significantly reduced our diesel costs, giving us more income as the money for diesel has been saved.”

During the forum, Heifer also launched its mechanisation initiative in Rwanda. In partnership with Hello Tractor and the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture, the organisation handed over the first batch of 15 smart tractors to farmer representatives from across the country to boost agricultural productivity.

Jehiel Oliver, chief executive officer, Hello Tractor, emphasised the initiative’s potential to revolutionise agricultural productivity.

“These tractors will not only enhance efficiency but also support farmers nationwide,” he stated.