Kano, Jigawa sesame farmers open up to tech to improve land yield

Sesame farmers in Kano and Jigawa states have agreed to open up to the use of technology to improve their land yields and the overall well-being of the soil.

 The farmers made the resolve in Kano during an interactive session with a private firm, Robust Group of Companies that introduced them to Acresquare, a mobile application by CropIn Technology that helps farmers manage their farms in line with international best practices in several languages, including Hausa Language.

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 Introducing the mobile app, the Marketing director/Head of impact of Robust Group of Companies, Abhishek Narayan said the app, which is already in use across the world, harnesses satellite data to guide farmers on daily task for farming in line with best practices, predicts yield and health condition of the soil while preserving the soil from pest attack by suggesting measures to improve the soil.

Narayan, an agricultural technology expert, noted that the need to embrace technology in soil preservation has become more imperative because unless urgent precautionary measures are deployed, the impact of soil degradation may lead to 40 percent loss of global food production in the next 20 years.

He said with about 52 percent of global arable soil for agriculture being affected, a maximum threat on cropping from the effect of global warming, could leave about 3.2 billion global population with food deficit.

According to him, the firm is establishing a processing industry in Kano and Lagos to improve value chain production, create job opportunities and building economic viability of country of origin.

Responding on behalf of the farmers, Malam Sadiq Kassim, the Deputy President of National Association of Sesame Farmers of Nigeria, expressed satisfaction on the introduction of modern technology to improve agricultural production in Nigeria.

He added that as an association with presence in almost all local government areas in the country, they will continue to cascade the message to all the branches and reach out to all farmers on these best international practices.