Africa’s Mobile Agricultural Revolution: Farming Apps in Sub-Saharan Africa (Published)
Mobile phones have gone from luxury items to daily essentials in the lives of billions of people around the world. The start-up boom encouraged the creation of numerous apps targeting specific market niches and in the last decade, they have become more sophisticated offering thousands of streamlined services. With the touch of a button they are able to grant end-users access to various resources in different sectors, including agriculture. This paper evaluates the stance of mobile agricultural apps in sub-Saharan Africa. It gives a brief history on their development and points out why they have been a successful farm improvement tool in subsistence agriculture. It also identifies possible challenges that may stifle their applicability and growth potential in the region. It then goes ahead to highlight possible ways to mitigate these challenges
Keywords: Agriculture, apps, sub-Saharan Africa