{"id":605745,"date":"2023-09-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/goinggreens\/how-tech-can-help-egyptian-farmers-adapt-to-climate-change\/"},"modified":"2023-09-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-05T00:00:00","slug":"how-tech-can-help-egyptian-farmers-adapt-to-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"goinggreen","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/goinggreens\/how-tech-can-help-egyptian-farmers-adapt-to-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"How tech can help Egyptian farmers adapt to climate change"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can Egyptian farmers tackle climate-related challenges with high-tech precision <\/strong> agriculture? <\/strong>Rising temperatures, water scarcity, and soil deterioration mean some Egyptian farmers are seeing a decline in the yield and quality of their crops. That\u2019s hurting Egyptian farmers in the pocket and even forcing some to sell their land, as well as contributing to rising food prices \u2014 with worrying repercussions for the country\u2019s food security. In this week\u2019s Going Green, we take a look at how tech-driven precision agriculture \u2014 which uses tools from data analysis to satellite imaging and AI \u2014 could help local farmers adapt to some of the worst effects of climate change. <\/p>\n

Farming is getting harder thanks to climate change: <\/strong> Global farming productivity is set to decline 15% worldwide by 2050 as a result of rising temperatures and unstable weather patterns, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)<\/a>. Key local crops including wheat, rice and maize could see productivity decline by 11-19% by 2050, according to Egypt's Human Development Report 2021 (pdf)<\/a>. In recent years<\/a>, Egyptian farmers have been forced to adapt to help tackle that decline, planting more heat-resistant crops like cotton and delaying the planting of more sensitive crops including tomatoes as summer temperatures increase. <\/p>\n

Local farmers are leaving land fallow thanks to the heat: <\/strong>\u201cSome farmers didn't cultivate all of their land this summer because of the heat wave,\u201d Visual and AI Solutions (VAIS<\/a>) co-founders Mohamed El Helw and Karim Amer told us. <\/p>\n

How can precision agriculture help? <\/strong> Precision agriculture or smart farming is a farm management approach that uses data from high-resolution satellite imagery, remote sensors, machine learning algorithms, and other tech to provide customized advice on what, when, and how to grow. It can also alert farmers to incoming weather, pest, and disease threats that might affect crop yields or livestock welfare, says a UNDP report (pdf)<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This data-driven app <\/strong> roach can increase the overall profitability of farming<\/strong>, cut down on physical labor requirements, and minimize overall environmental footprint by reducing the need for artificial fertilizers and pesticides. With monitoring, data collection, and communication often delivered via smartphone, precision agriculture could be an affordable and accessible approach for farmers in emerging countries, writes UNDP.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re behind the pack when it comes to agritech: <\/strong>Many emerging markets have seen five to ten years of agritech development, but Egyptian farmers still lack access to advanced, affordable, and accessible agritech tools, Walid Nasr, CEO of digital agriculture and precision farming platform Zr3i<\/a>, told Enterprise. Where local players are using tech solutions, they\u2019re largely imported, according to Muhammad Salim, CEO of smart devices solutions provider Tomatiki<\/a>. \u201cIf you look into the agriculture sector, there's no real technology at all,\u201d Salim told us. \u201cIf you ask the farmers that are smallholders or large agricultural producers, you'll find they depend on technology coming from outside.\u201d <\/p>\n

Some Egyptian startups are creating homegrown solutions using satellite data: <\/strong>VAIS combines virtual field probing using data from commercial and public satellites with AI algorithms. The company monitors plant growth, stress, and signs of disease, and supplies climate-related event predictions, irrigation scheduling, and disease scouting. It currently works over some 1k acres of medium- to large-sized farms in Egypt, with an additional 30k acres in the pipeline, Amer said. A similar service from Zr3i has helped farmers increase their yield production by 10%, resulting in a 20-30% profitability increase, CEO Nasr told Enterprise. <\/p>\n

Sensors are another way to go: <\/strong>Tomatiki uses sensors and microcontrollers in greenhouses to automatically control the temperature, humidity, sunlight, and CO2 levels, helping determine irrigation and fertilization schedules for optimal plant growth.<\/p>\n

Local startups are also working on data-driven ins. products: <\/strong>To mitigate some of the risks of unpredictable and extreme weather, Zr3i plans to introduce satellite data-informed crop ins. in collaboration with state-owned firm Misr Ins. Holding. Using historic satellite imaging of farms and weather patterns from up to three years prior, Zr3i can provide detailed risk assessments to help ascertain the appropriate ins. premium for a farm. In the case of an incident, Zr3i will also provide data from before, during, and after the event that will inform an ins. payout. The company is currently in talks with UNDP to sponsor the first 30 crop ins. policies expected to begin in September.<\/p>\n

Technological and legal limitations persist: <\/strong> High-tech solutions in agriculture make sense with the influx of new farmers from non-farming backgrounds, Zr3i\u2019s Walid Nasr told Enterprise. However, Nasr and other industry insiders that spoke to us also stressed that precision agriculture is held back by technological limitations. Poor Wi-Fi in particular complicates the use of potentially easy-to-install and cheap hardware, while legal restrictions on drones make a potentially valuable tool inaccessible.<\/p>\n

Where are the VCs? <\/strong>The local farming industry should be a promising field for investors, yet not many are interested, VAIS\u2019 El Helw told Enterprise. Zr3i\u2019s Walid Nasr put the notable absence of venture capital firms in agritech down to a perception of the industry as high-risk. Accelerators do exist \u2014 but they\u2019re more useful for building networks than attracting investment, said Nasr. And while funding from major development institutions is available, the process is lengthy and arduous, El Helw said.<\/p>\n

Agritech\u2019s struggle to draw investors in the current climate is a global problem<\/strong>, writes the Financial Times<\/a>, with VC investments in the agritech and foodtech sectors plummeting 44% y-o-y in 2022 amid rising interest rates, costs, and concerns over startups\u2019 business models. <\/p>\n

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