Tackling the global food gap with mobile communications

11 Oct 2011

by: Margaret Snell

Research from Vodafone and Accenture to measure the impact of mobile communications on the lives of small farmers in the world’s poorest countries has found that their use could help tackle global food shortages and increase agricultural income by $138bn by 2020.

In order to meet the needs of a global population which is expected to reach more than 9 billion by 2050, food production needs to increase by 70% on 2006 levels. Most of the increased yield will have to be achieved within emerging economies, many of whose farmers operate on a small scale and are highly exposed to crop failure and adverse commodity price movements.

The report, ‘Connected Agriculture’, concludes that 80% of the potential $138 billion uplift in emerging market farmers' incomes will be derived from the growth of mobile money transfer systems, mobile information services and helpline services giving real-time guidance on issues such as pest control and the challenges linked to climate change, including water scarcity. Mobile communications could also help improve distribution and logistics.

Vodafone Group chief executive Officer Vittorio Colao said: “Smallholding farmers in emerging markets are both vulnerable and vital: without a steep increase in their productivity, it is hard to see how future generations will avoid global food shortages. Mobile is already transforming hundreds of millions of people's lives in ways unimaginable only a decade ago. This report now provides vivid evidence of how mobile can make a material difference in tackling the global food gap."

Dame Barbara Stocking, chief executive officer, Oxfam said: “With more than 1.5 billion people worldwide dependent on smallholder agriculture, mobile telephony could have significant potential to help the poorest farmers towards food and income security. We particularly welcome the focus that this research places on how core business, rather than corporate philanthropy, can operate to have a positive developmental impact.”

 

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