With the economic crisis and people in her country going hungry, for Ronke Bamisedun, standing by and doing nothing was not an option.



Almost every industry has been adapting to life during the Covid-19 pandemic. While small businesses might not be an industry, they contribute tremendously to millions of people in Africa. With the demand shocks that have been created by the virus, we can see decreased consumer spending, which has consequently led to temporary business closures.



An adverse effect of the pandemic in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous economy, is hunger. The Covid-19 lockdown, which has been implemented in the country since May, is causing thousands of unemployed youth to resort to desperate measures to keep hunger at bay. The situation was so dire that it has caused Latti Ronke Bamisedun, founder BWL Agency, an award-winning strategic communications agency based in Lagos, to take a temporary pivot and focus her efforts where it is needed the most.



“When the lockdown started across the world, all our clients pretty much pressed pause on all our work. This is the first time in almost ten years that I have not worked. You know, I tried to figure out how best to use this time and then I was driving during the lockdown to the supermarket and I drove past a group of youth in Lekki and they had started carrying placards that said ‘please feed us, we are hungry’ – there were about 150 of them on that Admiralty Road and I knew at that point that I had to do something to help.”



Her efforts almost caused a stampede as the hungry youths collected all the donations in a split second. Bamisedun then set up a social media page and started raising more funds to feed the youth. They used a local church in Lekki, a suburb of Lagos, as a distribution center and began feeding the street children in the area. In just over a few months, the food distribution operations have spread to different parts of Lagos.



“We started with 300 meals and as donations increased, we went to about 1,200 meals a day. Once Lekki was sorted, we identified other areas that needed our help. One of the locations was Victoria Island, a commercial hub and with all the businesses closed, there were a lot of people by the park who had been neglected so we started distributing there too. We did about 300 meals daily before we moved to Ikoyi where we also distributed about 150 meals daily,” says Bamisedun.



Since its inception, Bamisedun’s food donation campaign has provided meals to over 40,000 people. The change from the corporate world she is used to has given Bamisedun a deeper sense of connection with Nigeria where she grew up as a young girl before relocating to the United Kingdom (UK) to complete her secondary education. After graduating from Birmingham City University with a BA in Media and Communications, she joined Kaizo PR in London, where she worked on a number of campaigns including House of Marley, a range of eco-friendly audio products by Bob Marley’s family. After relocating to Nigeria, she joined Grayling, an international communications firm where Bamisedun was hired to support the African expansion of the business.



“I was in that role for a year before the company decided that Nigeria was too volatile for them at the time and that was how I started my own agency.”



That was the serendipitous moment that birthed the BWL Agency. The company has since handled brand campaigns for some of the most reputable brands in the country such as Pernod Ricard and Universal Music Group as well as non-governmental organizations like the United Nations Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies.



The coronavirus has sometimes been called an equalizer because it affects both rich and poor, but when it comes to food, the commonality ends. It is poor people, including large segments of poorer nations, who are now going hungry and facing the prospect of starvation.



“This project further opened my eyes to the inequality and injustice in the country and as such, we are working out a long-term plan to ensure that these vulnerable communities do not go without. Nobody should go hungry,” avers Bamisedun.



The sudden loss in income for millions of Nigerians who were already living hand-to-mouth along with the collapse in oil prices has made the hunger situation an especially precarious one for the country. Some parts of the country are already experiencing looting and break-ins amid frustrations and worries about hunger. For Bamisedun, standing by and doing nothing is not an option.



“Weirdly enough, this season and this project has given me a sense of belonging and I am determined to do what I can to ensure that this country becomes somewhere we can all call home. I didn’t know that we were going to be doing over 1,500 meals a day across four communities. I just wanted to help. For me, this has been a time to serve others and it really has been a humbling experience,” she says.

Processed with VSCO with ss3 preset

The Nigerian Distributing Food And Hope For the Neglected

By Sabdiyo Dido Bashuna, Senior Technical Adviser Value Chains &amp; Agribusiness, Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)



As Covid-19 continues its spread across Africa, the restrictions to limit infection are having a disproportionate impact on half of the continent’s food growers and producers: women.



At a time when food security is under extra strain because of the pandemic, women in agriculture are enduring extra hygiene and social distancing measures on top of endemic inequalities, which together undermine their capacity to respond and recover from the crisis.



But the pandemic has also triggered creativity and survival techniques, leading to product diversity, new digital marketing and distribution channels.



Across Africa, women make up&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/am307e/am307e00.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">50 per cent</a>&nbsp;of the agricultural labour force as well as often taking primary responsibility for caring for families, households and communities.



Yet historic inequalities mean women are facing the added pressure of the coronavirus outbreak while also having access to just a fraction of the necessary resources, from land and labour to finance and trainings.



In normal times, the productivity gap between men and women farmers is an estimated&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fao.org/3/i2050e/i2050e04.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">30 per cent</a>&nbsp;as a result of unequal access to resources, but with shocks like coronavirus exacerbating existing inequalities, the potential impact on food production, food security and nutrition could be far greater. &nbsp;&nbsp;



Better supporting African women in agriculture would help bridge this gap and increase both yields and profitability, providing more food for the poor, sick and hungry, and more income to support rural families during the global health emergency. So how can we do this during the pandemic?



One challenge of persistent gender inequality is that women, whose roles are often home-based and even more so during the coronavirus outbreak, tend not to present themselves for support.



The first barrier to overcome, then, is reaching women in the first place, whether with agricultural advice, financial support or valuable farm inputs like seeds, fertilizer and pesticides.



For more than three decades, CTA has worked closely with extension workers in Africa, who make direct contact with women through cooperatives and communities while also championing digital tools and services that are less intrusive or demanding.



Online networks such as&nbsp;<a href="https://value4her.hivebrite.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">VALUE4HERConnect</a>&nbsp;have provided a platform for African women entrepreneurs in agriculture that offers networking, mentoring and training support in a way that is convenient for heads of households.



These kinds of networks are also helpful for addressing a second challenge resulting from gender inequality, which is that the majority of women’s agri-businesses tend to be smaller and more likely to fail given the low levels of resilience.



To be effective, any tailored support for women must also be channelled with such small businesses in mind. Only a small fraction of rural women own bank account, for example, so accessing such funds is a challenge.



Providing grants and flexible loans for women can help them afford financial services like insurance and credit that protect their livelihoods against stresses while allowing them to invest in growing their enterprises.



Additionally, for women to fulfil their often care-based roles in households and on farms throughout the pandemic, they must be safe, both from the risk of infection and gender-based violence, which has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2020/issue-brief-covid-19-and-ending-violence-against-women-and-girls-en.pdf?la=en&amp;vs=5006" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">increased</a>&nbsp;as a result of lockdowns.



Finally, the new coping mechanisms and survival techniques adopted by women in agribusiness during the pandemic need to be documented, supported and scaled to cushion them from failure and help build resilience against future shocks.



Governments, health agencies and non-profits must provide technical assistance to help educate women on navigating the complexities caused by this pandemic, from basic hygiene measures to skills such as business management, renegotiation of supply contracts, or accessing business support.



Women smallholders already play such a vital role in producing and providing food in low-income countries, which has become all the more important in the wake of coronavirus.



But without targeted and appropriate support, they miss fulfilling their potential, which is a loss to women and families that depend on their incomes, and in the grip of a pandemic, it may also be a fatal oversight.

gettyimages-1164630844-594×594

Op-Ed: Why African Women In Agriculture Face The Greatest Double Burden Of Covid-19 And Food Insecurity

Last year, Bill Gates named his 10 breakthrough technologies for the year. Among the technological developments he outlined were robot dexterity, new-wave nuclear power, customized cancer vaccines and the cow-free burger. It was the first time that the list, usually compiled by MIT Technology Review, was created by a guest editor. It is no wonder that Gates rightly predicted that home computers and the internet would infiltrate much of our lives. Yet, when I went through this list, it was not necessarily universal. Many of these breakthrough technologies made sense through Western lenses. We have to ask, which of these breakthrough technologies will have the most significant impact on the African continent?



Perhaps the most pressing issue for Africa now is agriculture. Climate change has had a devastating impact on the agriculture sector, which is particularly concerning when you consider that most African economies still heavily depend on it. A study by McKinsey &amp; Company found that more than 60% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa is smallholder farmers, and about 23% of sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture. Yet, increases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and extreme weather events not only disrupt entire industries but reduce food availability and impacts food quality. This, of course, is coupled with the fastest-rising population, which places more strain on resources.



We have already observed in the last few years how devastating a drought can be. South Africa has become a significant food importer, while Kenya and Zimbabwe are on the verge of starvation. This has seen the regional and national economic growth take a severe knock. Yet, as the United Nations put it, “the continent has enormous potential, not only to feed itself and eliminate hunger and food insecurity but also be a major player in global food markets.” So how do we go about this? I would argue that tapping into the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) does not just serve as a way of revitalizing the agricultural sector but also realizing its potential. As the American financier Bernard Baruch once put it: “Agriculture is the greatest and fundamentally the most important of our industries. The cities are but the branches of the tree of national life, the roots of which go deep into the land. We all flourish or decline with the farmer.”



I have just bought a farm and have been looking at ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) can make farming more efficient. Farmers can tap into AI to combat disease and pests, which have been made worse by climate change and pesticide use. Drones and other robots equipped with computer vision can collect data points from the farms’ existing crops. If you were to ask me to spell out some breakthrough technologies, many of them would be inextricably linked with the agricultural sector.



For instance, it is estimated that humans would need to plant over 1.2 trillion trees to combat climate change. Here, we could use AI to automate this process.



Airlitix is a South African AI software that is currently being used in drones to automate greenhouse management processes. We could take this a step further. Airlitix can collect temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide data as well as analyse soil and crop health. 



Elsewhere, similar technology has been adopted. The Third Eye project in Kenya uses near-infrared cameras mounted on drones to survey and diagnose the plants for pests and diseases, water stress and nutrient deficiencies. This requires a combination of historical data and the use of AI. Last year, IBM developed an AI-powered app to test the quality of their soil and water on location, in real-time. The AgroPad is a technology that can rapidly perform chemical analysis of water and soil samples. In California, Ceres Imaging has mapped fields using images of farms, which are analysed using AI to ascertain whether crops are getting enough water. This technology helps farmers decide when to plant, water, spray and harvest their crops.



This conversation crops up as we scrutinize what it means to have a green economy. The 4IR does not merely provide tools for efficiency, but it presents a unique opportunity to interrogate how we can transform the industry as our natural environment deteriorates.



To a large extent, we underestimate the importance of the agricultural sector. Yet, without it, we would not have food security, we would see our economies crumble and there would be untold job losses.



-Tshilidzi Marwala

gettyimages-1128687123-170667a

Op-Ed: How To Be A Major Player In Global Food Markets

South African farmers have a tough choice, they either have to sell their cows or watch them die, as the country suffers the worst drought in 23 years.
In this dry world, more than 800,000 livestock are under threat from thirst and hunger.
Gerhard Schutte, the CEO of Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, says 30,000 commercial farmers, 250,000 emerging farmers and 1.2 million households owning livestock are feeling it.
“In the emerging sector [the farmers] have lost up to R1.35 billion ($96.9 million) while in the commercial sector its R3 billion ($215 million),” says Schutte.
“In the case of emerging farmers and households owning livestock, there are no means to buy in feed, so the scenario is bleak. Commercial farmers can still buy in feed but availability is a problem.”
In the KwaZulu-Natal province alone, along the east coast of South Africa, more than 40,000 cattle have died.
“A lot of livestock have been lost by farmers. In our farm at Brakspruit, in Utrecht, alone we have lost thousands of livestock. If this crisis continues, we are likely to lose more than 800,000,” says Mandla Buthelezi, Vice-President of the National African Farmers Union.
Molemi Modise, from South Africa’s North West province, has been a farmer for 25 years and says this is the worst drought ever.
“The last time we had decent rain was five years ago and you can imagine how the farm is looking like now. I spent every cent I had to sustain my livestock.”
“There is no grass left and I have already spent more than I should. I visited other farmers at Molatedi Dam and saw carcases everywhere. Some cattle collapsed lying alongside the dam. The situation has gone beyond worse. The unfortunate part is that rain is not going to help anything now. We are a few months before winter and no grass will mature between now and then.”
“If I don’t get help in the near future, I will lose my stock, which would be unfortunate and that could mean my entire farm workers will lose their jobs and their families will suffer. The situation is very bad. I am improvising to keep my head above water,” says Modise.
Like many farmers in the country, Modise appeals to the government to help with the drought.
“This situation calls for help from the government because if we don’t get any soon the country will be heading for a major disaster.”
According to climatologist Simon Gear, the drought is the result of the EL Nino, warm and dry weather conditions, which occur every two and a half years.
“It’s a regular cycle but this one is the warmest. It’s at its peak and would probably decline towards the end of the summer season,” says Gear.
What is clear is that breeding herds are likely to get smaller. Schutte says it could take three to four seasons to recover.

Livestock Doomed To Die

One day, the world may go to war over rice. Food is the new oil.
About 795 million of the world’s people, 200 million of them children, are hungry. Most of them are in Africa and Asia. It will cost $267 million per year to end world hunger by 2030. That is $160 annually for each person, according to the United Nations.
The business of food could be the business of the future. Most of the world is putting bricks and concrete over its fields and importing food. This could mean good business for entrepreneurs who harness the fertile red soil of Africa.
FORBES AFRICA dedicates this issue to food and the investment case.
Over 60% of the world’s arable land is in Africa, 65% of Africans work in the fields and 35% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from agriculture and food, according to Old Mutual Investment Group’s Director of Strategic Projects, Craig Chambers.
At least $25 billion in food imports are coming into Africa; and food is wasted on the continent.
According to Duncan Vink, Joint Managing Director of UFF Agri Asset Management, 39 million hectares of agricultural land in Africa is physically suitable for irrigation but only 7% of this farmable land is currently irrigated, and in sub-Saharan Africa that figure is only 3.7%.
“There is no doubt that the opportunity within African agriculture is really vast, we have a decent pipeline of anything between $200 and $400 million in opportunities in Africa,” says Chambers.
For years, farming was going out of fashion but entrepreneurs are rediscovering it. Necessity may prove the mother of food production ripe for investment.

Tag: Hunger

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

The Nigerian Distributing Food And Hope For the Neglected

Op-Ed: Why African Women In Agriculture Face The Greatest Double Burden Of Covid-19 And Food Insecurity

Op-Ed: How To Be A Major Player In Global Food Markets

Livestock Doomed To Die

Food The New Oil