Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies In Africa

Download or read book Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa written by Jeehye Kim and published by World Bank Publications. This book was released on 2020-07-16 with total page 117 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study—which includes a pilot intervention in Kenya—aims to further the state of knowledge about the emerging trend of disruptive agricultural technologies (DATs) in Africa, with a focus on supply-side dynamics. The first part of the study is a stocktaking analysis to assess the number, scope, trend, and characteristics of scalable disruptive technology innovators in agriculture in Africa. From a database of 434 existing DAT operations, the analysis identified 194 as scalable. The second part of the study is a comparative case study of Africa’s two most successful DAT ecosystems in Kenya and Nigeria, which together account for half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s active DATs. The objective of these two case studies is to understand the successes, challenges, and opportunities faced by each country in fostering a conducive innovation ecosystem for scaling up DATs. The case study analysis focuses on six dimensions of the innovation ecosystem in Kenya and Nigeria: finance, regulatory environment, culture, density, human capital, and infrastructure. The third part of the study is based on the interactions and learnings from a pilot event to boost the innovation ecosystem in Kenya. The Disruptive Agricultural Technology Innovation Knowledge and Challenge Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, brought together more than 300 key stakeholders from large technology companies, agribusiness companies, and public agencies; government representatives and experts from research and academic institutions; and representatives from financial institutions, foundations, donors, and venture capitalists. Scaling Up Disruptive Agricultural Technologies in Africa concludes by establishing that DATs are demonstrating early indications of a positive impact in addressing food system constraints. It offers potential entry points and policy recommendations to facilitate the broader adoption of DATs and improve the overall food system.

Download or read book Scaling Up and Out: Achieving Widespread Impact through Agricultural Research written by Douglas Pachico and published by CIAT. This book was released on 2004 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Agricultural technology ecosystems in East Africa – Taking stock in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda written by Paquette, D., Ontieri, E., Day, B., Schmidhuber, J., Tripoli, M. and published by Food & Agriculture Org.. This book was released on 2023-02-23 with total page 90 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched an initiative to assess the existing impediments for scaling innovation and technology in food and agriculture (AgTech) and to identify options to improve the enabling environment for AgTech-focused businesses. The initiative offers a tool for decision makers to promote the uptake of AgTech, investment and entrepreneurship in Africa, ultimately to advance agricultural productivity and food security. The first cohort evaluates the AgTech ecosystems in three East African countries: Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Download or read book Digital tools and agricultural market transformation in Africa: Why are they not at scale yet, and what will it take to get there? written by Abay, Kibrom A. and published by Intl Food Policy Res Inst. This book was released on 2021-12-31 with total page 42 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper presents results from a framed field experiment in which participants make decisions about extraction of a common-pool resource, a community forest. The experiment was designed and piloted as both a research activity and an experiential learning intervention during 2017-2018 with 120 groups of resource users (split by gender) from 60 habitations in two Indian states, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. We examine whether local beliefs and norms about community forest, gender of participants, within-experiment treatments (non-communication, communication, and optional election of institutional arrangements (rules)) and remuneration methods affect harvest behaviour and groups’ tendency to cooperate. Furthermore, we explore whether the experiment and subsequent community debriefing had learning effects. Results reveal a “weak” Nash Equilibrium in which participants harvested substantially less than the Nash prediction even in the absence of communication, a phenomenon stronger for male than female participants in both states. For male groups in both states, both communication and optional rule election are associated with lower group harvest per round, as compared to the reference non-communication game. For female groups in both states, however, communication itself did not significantly slow down resource depletion; but the introduction of optional rule election did reduce harvest amounts. For both men and women in Andhra Pradesh and men in Rajasthan, incentivized payments to individual participants significantly lowered group harvest, relative to community flat payment, suggesting a possible “crowding-in” effect on pro-social norms. Despite the generally positive memory of the activity, reported actual changes are limited. This may be due to the lack of follow-up with the communities between the experiment and the revisit. The fact that many of the communities already have a good understanding of the importance of the relationships between (not) cutting trees and the ecosystem services from forests, with rules and strong internal norms against cutting that go beyond the felling of trees in the game, may have also meant that the game did not have as much to add. Findings have methodological and practical implications for designing behavioral intervention programs to improve common-pool resource governance.

Download or read book Algorithmic Approaches to Financial Technology: Forecasting, Trading, and Optimization written by Singh, Amandeep and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2023-12-29 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, algorithms steer and inform more than 75% of modern trades. These mathematical constructs play an intricate role in automating processes, predicting market trends, optimizing portfolios, and fortifying decision-making in the financial domain. In an era where algorithms underpin the very foundation of financial services, it is imperative to hold a deep understanding of the intricate web of computational finance. Algorithmic Approaches to Financial Technology: Forecasting, Trading, and Optimization takes a comprehensive approach, spotlighting the fusion of artificial intelligence(AI) and algorithms in financial operations. The chapters explore the expansive landscape of algorithmic applications, from scrutinizing market trends to managing risks. The emphasis extends to AI-driven personnel selection, implementing trusted financial services, crafting recommendation systems for financial platforms, and critical fraud detection. This book serves as a vital resource for researchers, students, and practitioners. Its core strength lies in discussing AI-based algorithms as a catalyst for evolving market trends. It provides algorithmic solutions for stock markets, portfolio optimization, and robust financial fraud detection mechanisms.

Download or read book Digital Communication for Agricultural and Rural Development written by Ataharul Chowdhury and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-07-04 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume presents insights on the challenges of digital communication and participation in agricultural and rural development. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that digital technology and mediated participation is more important and essential in managing ongoing communication for development projects than ever before. However, it has also underscored the various challenges and gaps in knowledge with digital participatory practices, including the further exclusion of marginalized groups and those with limited access to digital technology. The book considers how the concept of participation has been transformed by the realities of the pandemic, reflecting on essential principles and practical considerations of communication for development and social change, particularly in the context of global agriculture and food security, the well-being of rural communities, and evolving environmental challenges, such as climate change. In gathering these insights, this volume highlights lessons for the future of participatory development in communication for development and social change processes. This volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of agricultural and rural development, communication for development, digital communication, and sustainable development more broadly.

Download or read book Research Handbook on Law and Technology written by Bartosz Brożek and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2023-12-11 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This thorough and incisive Research Handbook reconstructs the scholarly discourses surrounding the field of law and technology, discussing the salient legal, governance and societal problems stemming from the use of different technologies, and how they should be treated under various legal frameworks. This title contains one or more Open Access chapters.