Precision agriculture and the prospects of space strategy for food security in Africa

Abstract

Precision agriculture generally refers to the methods of crop, livestock and fish farming that are meant to eliminate or minimize uncertainty and maximize products with relative accuracy that matches predetermined expectations. Amidst these, the relevance of space assets such as satellites for remote sensing, navigation and communication in guaranteeing food security is increasingly gaining attention. This development cannot be ignored in Africa, a region that is infamously known as a hotspot of drought, famine, malnutrition and attendant death. Using a combination of post-colonial and modernization theories, this article examines the need for Africa to embrace, adopt and adapt space supported precision agriculture to address its enduring food production shortages and related insecurity. This study used a mixed-method to analyze data collected from secondary sources. Despite the involvement of over 50% of the population in agriculture, most African countries have a poor record of food production, because they rely on smallholdings with little technological support, making them vulnerable to food insecurity. Hence, there is an overriding need to adopt modern techniques, such as space supported precision agriculture that are relevant to overcome the challenges that continue to undermine food production capacities and potentials of the region.

Keywords:

• food security
• Africa
• precision agriculture
• satellite
• space strategy
• technologies

Acknowledgement

The earlier draft of this article was prepared for presentation at the 77th Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) conference between April 15 and 19, 2019 in Chicago, USA.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.