Q&A: Climate leaders with answers

Edwin Inziani Ashiundu is the Business Area Manager for East Africa at DVA Group, a German chemicals company that develops agricultural solutions for farmers.

Q. How is the farm market evolving in Africa? A. Governments have started banning many products harmful to the environment. That makes the market more dynamic. Customers’ purchasing behaviour is shifting due to the awareness of sustainable agriculture.

Q. How fast is the evolution? A. Innovation is happening, however, there is a need for the majority of the farmers in Africa to adapt to the new technologies.

Q. Is this going to happen? A. Stakeholders in my field are actively creating awareness about smart agriculture. There are training sessions and seminars to educate farmers. Also, the rise of local investors in the sector has been helpful.

Q. What more could governments do? A. I would say that policies do not include strict directions to farmers to embrace smart agriculture. Also, the policies do not include proof of concept trials which would increase research on sustainable agriculture. If such policies could be implemented, things would move faster.