Karl Marx the Jewish philosopher and sociologist said “religion is the opium if people” while my people the igbo people would bring this saying nearer and it goes “onye jebee uka ojefuo uche” meaning that those who go to churches most times go away from their common sense! From the look of things lately,we can say these guys are right to an extent.
At least, by now we can all see that we are more divided by virtue of religion than we actually thought.
This one is just within the same Christian religion oo, penticostals to be precise. Now imagine bringing in the Catholics, Jehovah’s witness, Anglicans, and the other denominations with sharp disagreeing beliefs. Na fight go just burst for fellowship! E just be like say every church get their own god that only lives in their peculiar doctrine and church buildings. Shey na same God we dey worship so? Abi something else dey amidst?
Since the war of words started, we have been witnessing torrents of curses and abuses launched like missiles on the one condemned by those that should have invited him as a fellow Christian to discussion, to either correct or be corrected.
When you now move out to other religious beliefs, you will still find this kind of disagreements that in most cases results to killing each other; killing God’s creation to “defend” same God.
Now the question is; does the world really need religion? Is religion not a heavy burden on humanity?
Take away the name of Jesus Christ in churches and many wouldn’t even notice, and you’d still have religious practices going on there with men and women worshipping in the name of their GOs and pastors. Many worship the awe of their magnificent church buildings, while some are there simply to belong to the crowd or associate with the opulence of these wealthy men on pulpits – as that’s their only essence and evidence of the presence of God.
Christianity should be a reflection of our lifestyle and not the burden of duty imposed on us by fellow men who have indirected arrogated to themselves God’s position on Earth through conflicting denominations. These men through religion emotionally blackmail people into doing their bidding with a promise of prosperity or a paradise they hold not the keys, and in other cases, they threaten these vulnerable ones with hell to make them part with monies that could hardly be enough for their own family upkeep.
Going through history, nothing has battled against science and technological advancement like religious extremism. Great inventors and scientists were burnt at the stake for blasphemy simply for thinking outside the box and beyond the limits of the imaginations of the custodians of religion. But today, some of those inventions are used by all the religious groups. One of such example is the translation of the Bible to English language.
The wright brothers were condemned as wizards and saurcerers for daring to think man can fly, and they almost got lynched on several occasions. Today, the successors of those obstinately resistant to these progressions all have aircrafts to their names.
Religion fights against the mental free will and critical thinking that births advanced human inventions, but in the same breath, religion is usually the first to benefit from the products of these groundbreaking inventions that changes the course of history.
…As CP Cautions Residents Against Buying Fairly Used Phones From Questionable Sources
Two suspected online scammers in the habit of advertising expensive mobile phones at cheaper prices on jiji.com and luring their buyers to places where they fraudulently dispossess them of their money in exchange for fake mobile phones were on Wednesday arrested by the Lagos State Police Command.
The suspects, Chukwu – Emeka Ogbona (45) and Olabode Kehinde (34), both mobile phone technicians at the Computer Village, Ikeja were arrested at Olowu Street, Ikeja in separate incidents.
The duo, who are members of same syndicate advertised Iphone X, a phone valued at N240,000 for N155,000 to lure buyers into their nets.
The suspects, along with other gang members lure the buyers to locations around Olowu Street and Computer Village, Ikeja, where they fraudulently collect money from the buyers after showing them the real phone but within a twinkle of an eye substitute it with fake Iphone X. The suspects thereafter flee the scene leaving their victims stranded.
The suspects also disclosed that apart from advertising on jiji.com, they also fraudulently sell fake mobile phones on the streets of Computer Village to unsuspecting buyers as well as return fake or paper money to their victims after collecting the real money from them.
According to one of the suspects, Chukwu Emeka Ogbona, the leader of the gang is “Ibrahim. He advertised on jiji.com and supply us with the real Iphone X and the fake Iphone X. The real Iphone X is N240,000 while the fake is an android phone made to look like an Iphone X. It is N30,000.
“The Iphone X was advertised for N155,000. The buyer negotiated for N120,000. Knowing what I want to sell to him, I encouraged him to meet me at Olowu after changing meeting locations twice to ensure that we were not being baited by the police.
“I showed him the real Iphone X for him to confirm it while the fake was in my back pocket. I took the real back from him again for us to settle our bargain. Meanwhile, I had arranged with other gang members to come around and distract the attention of the buyer so as to create room for me to swap the real Iphone X with the fake version.
“This I did and we shared the victim’s N120,000. Unknown to me the police baited and arrested me the third day of the fraud”.
He continued: ” Times are hard. I stopped doing it before. I need money to feed my family. That is why I came back into it. We are many doing it. We call it street hustling. I wont go back to it if released.”
The second suspect, Olabode Kehinde was arrested by the Decoy Team of #RRS for collecting N100,000 and an Iphone 6S from one Obinna, who he lured to Computer Village after agreeing to swap them for a Iphone X but ended up fraudulently giving him a fake Iphone X.
He also confessed to be a member of the same syndicate. He added that they are many on the streets of Computer Village.
Commenting on the development, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Hakeem Odumosu advised Lagosians to be wary of suspected fraudsters masquerading as phone dealers with view to exploiting them of their hard earned money, adding that they should ensure they obtain receipt with traceable addresses for mobile phones they are buying.
He warned Lagosians to stop buying fairly used phones whose sources they don’t know.
…’We’ve Been Empowered To Contribute To Food Security Drive’
A cross section of beneficiaries of the special training on Aquaculture and its value chain organized by the Office of Lagos State First Lady, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu in collaboration with the State’s Ministry of Agriculture have lauded the wife of the Governor for her initiative to encourage people to go into farming and contribute to the country’s food security drive.
Speaking at the training organized for members of the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials (COWLSO), civil servants and representatives of some groups, the beneficiaries said the training was worth the while and it had equipped them with the skills to go into commercial fish farming.
The 3-day training, held at the Cooperative College Training Room and Agriculture Development Authority Complex, Oko-Oba, Agege From August 31 to September 2, 2020, is the first batch of the trainings line up by the Office of the First Lady to train people in fish farming, poultry, and crops in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture.
A participant, Mrs Adeola Rotinwa said she benefited immensely from the training about fish farming and its value chain.
“I really appreciate the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr (Mrs) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu for giving us the opportunity to learn about fish farming value chain. We have learnt so far on how to hatch fish, how to smoke fish, drying, selling and exporting fish, among others.
“We also learn about how to have a cooperative and collaborate to form a business either to sell fish or to sell the fingerlings. I thank the Office of the First Lady and the Ministry of Agric for this opportunity and we are also praying that going forward, they will assist in empowering us to take this fish farming value chain to the next level of feeding the nation,” Rotinwa said.
Another participant, Mrs Olajumoke Saliu said the training was an eye opener in terms of the opportunities inherent in fish farming.
“So far, we have learnt how to do the fish farming from fingerlings to table fish, among others. They have taken us through the process and even told us that when you have the fish, there is a way you can add more value to it to put more market on it whether locally or internationally as much as making fish fillet, making fish snacks, and making canned food with fish without preservatives.
“We are learning how to do it the organic way and also giving us value that we can also add to people at our own different ends.
“It is a big privilege. We want to thank the Office of the First Lady and the First Lady especially, Dr. (Mrs.) Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu. She is impacting lives because this is not just about the people being trained as they will go out, create more jobs and reach out to others. This is a total package that we are grateful for. This is what we will surely take to the next level to impact positively on the food security within our nation and State,” Saliu said.
On her part, Princess Ramat Adeyinka-Ola said she joined the training in furtherance of the interest she has for fish farming, just as she commended the First Lady for the initiative.
Also, another participant, Mrs Sumoni Oluwatoyin said the First Lady deserved to be appreciated for her initiative to empower women to contribute positively to the society.
“First of all, I want to thank the First Lady for what she has been doing for us. We are happy because she does not want us to stay at home doing nothing. She wants us to learn more and this is the essence of this training,” Oluwatoyin said.
For Mr Musbau Ayinde Jimoh, the training was a big opportunity for him to prepare for forming ahead of retirement.
“When this programme came up, I thought it was an opportunity for me to learn. I have come here, I have seen, I have learnt a lot especially in the area of value chain. From the beginning to the end, there is a lot of opportunity in aquaculture, especially in a place like Lagos State where there is high demand for fish and the rest of them and I hope that this will be extended to other colleagues of mine.
“For the sponsors, I want to appreciate the Office of the First Lady for this opportunity and the Ministry of Agriculture for bringing up this programme. It is a welcome development and I will like to attend the advanced stage or even repeat this course so that I can have an in depth knowledge of how to manage my firm when I get retired,” Jimoh said
Apart from the training, participants were also told about how to access the agric fund of the Lagos State Agro-Processing, Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Support (APPEALS), which is a World Bank assisted project.
SIGNED OLUBUKONLA NWONAH ASST DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE OF LAGOS STATE FIRST LADY SEPTEMBER 2, 2020
The Lagos State Teaching Service Commission lately hosted a webinar tagged “Eko Educators Webinar Performance Series 3.3”, the event brought to the fore the best ways teaching would be done in school and how the curriculum would be upgraded.
Speaking during the Webinar, Sanwo Olu, the Governor of Lagos said”Our administration places a huge premium on education and innovation. This is a reason why it is one of the pillars of our development agenda.”
“We have upgraded the curriculum in our schools, enhanced the capacity of our teachers training under the EkoBest initiative and set up an innovation fund for our youths. We will continue to prioritise investment in education and make our schools conducive for learning.”
As the state prepares for the reopening of schools this September 21st, it is believed that the curriculum would be used and a lot of changes made in the education space .
The Lagos State Government has announced dates for the resumption of Public and Private Schools after the closure that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic a few months ago.
According to a statement issued, today, by the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Folasade Adefisayo, the Ministry is adopting a phased approach to the reopening of public schools in Lagos State in order to enable them to meet COVID-19 physical distance rules and safety protocols.
She explained that the present set of JS3 and SS2 students in public schools in the State are to resume classes from Monday, 21st of September, 2020, so as to allow JS3 students who are already in an exit-class to revise and prepare adequately for their forthcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) organised by the Lagos State Examination Board and scheduled to hold between Tuesday, 6th October and Monday, 12th October 2020.
The Commissioner added that the resumption will also afford the present SS2 students the opportunity to prepare effectively for their transition to SS3, as the scheduled dates and venues for their Entrance Examination into Lagos State Model Colleges will soon be announced by the State Examination Board.
Assuring parents that announcements relating to the resumption of other classes will be made as soon as the government is certain of safety, Adefisayo disclosed that the students belonging to the yet-to-resume classes in public schools will continue their lessons on the various distance learning platforms created by the State Government.
Regarding the resumption of Private Primary and Secondary Schools in the State, the Commissioner said they are permitted to resume from Monday, 21st of September, 2020, noting, however, that the State Government strongly implores school owners to institute all necessary safety protocols as well as resume in phases similar to the plans for public schools.
“Phased opening includes strategies for staggered resumption in the mornings, classes on alternate days during the week and teaching through various distance learning methods. Schools must also comply with safety protocols and hygiene guidelines as instructed by the State Government, through the Office of Education Quality Assurance (OEQA), which will also continue to monitor and evaluate Schools’ preparedness”, Adefisayo said.
She emphasised that pre-primary classes in both public and private schools will remain closed until further announcements are made and reiterated that the pandemic still exists, urging all stakeholders to prioritise the safety of the children, teachers and parents as well as the whole community.
As part of its contribution towards eradicating the dreaded Corona virus pandemic in Nigeria, Reddington is offering free medical treatment to all international air travelers arriving Nigeria at its newly commissioned Armoured Shield Medical Centre provided the PCR test is done at Reddington Zaine Laboratory recently accredited as the only private COVID-19 facility to test and treat patients in Nigeria.
A statement by the management of Reddington said while the outcome of most of the tests are expected to be negative, in the event of a positive COVID-19 test, the facility will offer free doctors’ consultation, X-ray or CT Scan, home isolation treatment and 50% discount of hospital treatment at the Armoured Shield Medical Centre.
Dr. Olusola Oluwole, Medical Director of Armoured Shield Centre and Reddington Zaine Lab explained that to qualify for the free treatment services, all international air travelers must choose and register Reddington Zaine Lab as their preferred laboratory for their PCR test on the NCDC travel portal and arrival documents while PCR test must be carried out on the 7th day of arrival in Nigeria. He said that sample collection centres have been opened at 26 Joel Ogunnaike street, GRA Ikeja with walk-in and drive- through facilities for those on the mainland and 6B Bendel Close off Aboyade Cole Street , Victoria Island for those on the Island while sample collection at Lekki facility will be on appointment. According to Dr. Oluwole special arrangement has been made for sample collection at home for VIPs on demand.
The Reddington ZaineLab which was recently commissioned by the Lagos State Commissioner for Health Prof. Akin Abayomi, is equipped with state-of-the-art Class 3 Biosecurity Safety Technology which delivers results within 24 hours.
Dr. Oluwole said the facility is the only private hospital in Lagos currently accredited both for Testing and Treatment of COVID-19. “This allows for a seamless treatment and management of all Covid-19 positive patients in different locations in Lagos under Biosecurity environment,” he explained.
Reddington ZaineLab
He said that the medical centre has such facilities as five star isolation wards, high dependency and Level 3 Intensive Care Units (ICU) with ventilators, organ life support machines, CT Scan, X ray, laboratory, telemedicine, emergency response ambulances among other equipment and seasoned medical personnel required to treat all cases of Covid-19 in both adults and children.
Digital and Online banking in Nigeria has deepened the banking transaction. With the fast adoption of internet banking which is helped by the fast deployment of the ubiquitous broadband internet connectivity, Nigerians are begining to go back to the days of yore which is long ques in the bank due to the majority of Nigerian banking ineptitude and to a large extent inefficiency in the online banking transaction.
With issues like incomplete transaction,random debiting and reversal taking a long time , sometimes forever to reverse, Nigerians are begging for a global standard practice but it seems that the apex regulatory authority either standing akimbo, confused or either the banks are not complying but as it is today, a lot of Nigerians have confidence in their piggybank or what they call in Lagos “kolo”
“Don’t you have a mobile app?” “Why don’t you use our USSD platforms?” , ” This transaction can’t fly , we would recommend that you use the online platforms ” and a whole lot of statement that we get from a fancy dressing ladies in the banking halls ! What they don’t understand is that majority of Nigerians have tried these platforms and are just so sick and tired. Tired of what? The banks inability to deploy robust online, USSD and digital banking platforms. With a lot of people having to make either payments, transfers and debited without the other end receiving it. This means a long walk to the bank and in most cases they would tell you to wait for ten or fourteen working days! Now this is the situation in most banks.
A walk into the average Nigerian bank today would see customers centre or point besieged with complaints from card issues, incomplete transaction and most importantly debiting which hasn’t reflected. The man hour and productive time wasted in these banks is astronomical. As it is now, many Nigerian banks and organisations don’t seem to understand the concept of time as a critical factor of production and customers must wait for hours in lines due to a no fault of theirs.
As we emerge into a post covid-19 narrative,the need for social distancing becomes more imperative and unavoidable. Many people would resort to digital banking and how robust this platforms are is not certain. This writer was so phobia of online banking transaction that he went to inside banking hall to make a transfer to another bank for a critical issue. He has been so beaten by debited ans not reversed immediately,that he choose to go inside the banking hall! Guess what! He filled the bank form for a transfer to another bank just yesterday being Friday around 8.35 am till now,the recipient haven’t received the money and the bank is claiming that the transaction completed! This is the challenge of the average Nigerian in the era of “digital” banking ! The USSD case is so scared that the writer have refused to go into that areas. As of mobile app! That is another kettle fish.
Being there ,done that,the Nigerian banking space must come to understand that the need to offer world class service matters,with their services off ,going to ATM weekends are so scary that many are having service problem! The best bet, go into the bank make your withdrawal and go home !
Is it as a result of high transaction? Is it as a result of high customers? Is it as a result of inability to meet up with the requirements of the modern era and also unavailability of robust internet connectivity? Nigerians have asked these critical questions and are demanding answers. With the way these banking issues are going on especially in cities like Lagos , Nigerians might go back to the age of piggybank, which would hieghten the security issues.
A friend would say that, for you to know how efficient the Nigerian banking system is , save ten thousand naira in your savings account and don’t touch it for six months and know if the money would be intact , nobody is taking about interest here, but to get your money intact without deductions like card maintenance fees, account maintaining fees and all what not. Not all the banks are guilty of this but an overwhelming majority are! That is the truth.
Many Banks must understand that the narrative is changing and there is a paradigm shift! It is no more brick and mortar, CBN must start working with fintech to deepen digital banking processes , as it is today, it seems that the traditional banks are overwhelmed with issues and then work in hand with the Nigerian communication commission (NCC) to enable the telecommunications firms to deploy mobile payments as it is done in Kenya which Mpesa is leading the pack.
The need for collaboration is needed. As Nigerians are quick to adopt digital platforms,the need for banks to up their games is critical here. Any bank that is offering robust online and digital banking platforms would lead the pack not those that donate huge amount to government or engaging in unnecessary endorsement deals and fashion shows.
Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor joins the call for the end of human trafficking. In an era that forced labor is prevalent which has seen many Nigerians in other continents maltreated. The need to put an end to this ignoble act becomes more imperative.
Ogun state government used the social media platform to reach out to people and made its position known. According to Dapo,he said “Bringing a definite stop to the global vices of child abuse and human trafficking is an essential role of government, to ensure security of lives for collective development.”
He added that “I was ably represented by my Deputy, @noimot.oyedele at today’s inauguration of the Ogun State Taskforce Team on Human Trafficking, which is part of our Government’s efforts to corroborate those of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP at the national level.”
On the strides the state has made in this fight, the governor reiterated “This follows what we had earlier done at the state level, including: domestication of our Violence against Persons Prohibition, VAPP Act; empowerment of relevant agencies; and synergy with Civil Society Groups and other stakeholders on continuous sensitisation, advocacy and intervention programmes.”
On the new taskforce, he quipped”The just inaugurated Taskforce Team is charged to come up with and monitor effective initiatives and strategies towards curbing this notorious crime as well as reintegrating trafficked persons into the society for individual development.”
“I call on all well-meaning Ogun State people to cooperate with and support the Taskforce team, as chaired by Barr. Gbolahan Adeniran with Mr Daniel Atokolo as Co-Chair” he concluded.
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy.
Against a backdrop of increasingly severe and financially straining climate events and natural disasters, technology is poised to play an important role in maintaining and improving global agricultural output. The adoption of digital and precision farming practices has been shown to improve crop resiliency, and boost productivity and incomes, particularly in emerging markets where small-scale farmers are often more vulnerable to climatic impacts. With increasing support from international aid organisations, as well as the public and private sectors, precision farming should help emerging market economies maintain production levels through the use of digital technologies, such as mobile apps and automation.
Cost of Climate Change
Drought, rising average temperatures and extreme weather occurrences continue to cause economic shocks around the world. In March 2018 the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and global reinsurer Munich RE reported that 2017 was the second-costliest year on record for severe weather and climate events, with monsoon floods in Asia, severe drought in East Africa and the North Atlantic hurricane season estimated to have caused $320bn in loss and damage. According to the WMO, many parts of East Africa were affected by below-average rainfall in 2016 and 2017, and the UN reported in February 2018 that crops across Kenya, Somalia and southern Ethiopia were devastated by drought, leaving 12m people in the region dependent on humanitarian aid. Latin America was also affected by climate events in 2017. The WMO reported that Chile experienced some of its worst forest fires in recorded history in 2016-17 following extreme heat waves in late 2016. Flooding in Peru left 70,000 people homeless, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN noted significant maize crop losses as a direct result.
Flooding and drought also impacted South and South-east Asia. Heavy rains in May 2017 triggered severe landslides and floods in Sri Lanka, causing numerous fatalities and negatively impacting crop production. The flooding came in the wake of two years of severe drought, which was described by the UN as the worst in 40 years. In Myanmar flooding in July 2017 displaced over 100,000 people, with the government providing food and other assistance to 117,000 people; in August 2017 the Thai General Insurance Association recorded $300m in damages due to floods in the northern and eastern regions that border Myanmar. Meanwhile, in the Philippines floods caused by Typhoon Tembin killed more than 200 people in December 2017.
A Continuing Problem
Drought and persistent water scarcity are a major concern for the Middle East, including in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where between 67% and 93% of diminishing groundwater resources are used for agriculture, and the Levant, which entered its fifth consecutive year of drought in 2017. The effects of climate change on agriculture are wide ranging and include food insecurity, immediate and lingering health impacts, a decrease in export receipts, unemployment, and social and political unrest. This concern is a planetary one, not limited to any region: the FAO projects the world will need to produce 50% more food, feed and biofuel than it did in 2012 in order to feed 9bn people by 2050.
Food Security
The economic impact on emerging market agriculture is significant. For example, in South-east Asia the International Fund for Agricultural Development reported that agriculture in the region will be increasingly affected by climate change, as floods, droughts and cyclones worsen and affect irrigation systems, crop yields, soil quality, ecosystems and water resources. Meanwhile, the Asian Development Bank has projected that in the worse-case scenario, if no adaptive measures or technological improvements are applied to agriculture, climate change will drive a 50% decline in rice yields across Asia by 2100 in comparison to 1990 levels. In addition, rising sea levels could see up to 12% of regional production lost. According to the FAO in 2016, Latin America and the Caribbean – which hold a 58% share of the global coffee market, 52% of the soybean market, 29% of the sugar market and a 26% share of the beef market – are also vulnerable to climate change. The International Food Policy Research Institute forecast that climate change in sub-Saharan Africa will invalidate any anticipated productivity improvements in agriculture, with 38m more people at risk of hunger in 2050 than would have been the case. In addition, the World Bank noted that the Middle East and North Africa region, where 70% of agricultural production is rain-fed, stands at considerable risk, particularly the poorer rural communities, which are typically the hardest hit by crop and livestock losses.
Precision Agriculture
As stakeholders move to address the challenges of climate change and reduce dependency on rain-fed and groundwater growing practices, precision agriculture has been identified as one of the fundamental strategies to boost climate and natural disaster resiliency, particularly for smallholder farmers in emerging markets. Precision farming is the application and integration of different technologies and solutions into existing farming practices to more accurately manage site-specific variables, including field variations, and soil and growing conditions, eventually growing more food while using fewer resources at a lower cost. Precision farming applications include, but are not limited to, agricultural extension via digital advisory services, drip irrigation combined with soluble fertilisers, solar-powered pumps that transport well water to drip irrigation systems, soil and crop monitoring by humans or drones, and farm machinery guidance using positioning and mapping technology to determine optimal routes. According to the European Committee of Associations of Manufacturers of Agricultural Machinery, precision farming expanded rapidly between 2007 and 2017, and today 70-80% of new farming equipment contains some kind of precision agriculture component. The global precision farming industry is projected to be worth more than $10bn by 2024, according to estimates. Although the trend is already relatively established in developed markets, precision agriculture is now reaching emerging markets, where it holds the potential to improve smallholder livelihoods. A 2014 World Bank report, “ICTs for Agriculture in Africa”, found that the application of ICT to agriculture, which remains the leading sector for most African countries, “offers the best opportunity for economic growth and poverty alleviation on the continent”.
In Papua New Guinea the adoption of monitored management and cooling systems allowed the country to open its first dairy farm in 2018, which is not only supplying the local market with lower-cost milk, but is also creating positive multiplier effects on rural communities that are benefitting from skills and technology transfer as part of the value chain. “Local communities are receptive to change,” llan Weiss, chairman of Innovative Agro Industry, told OBG. “Transferring new skills and technology to remote communities creates trickle-down effects. We are bringing in farmers from all over the country not only to provide animal feed, but also to learn from the technology we have put in place.”
Apps & Data Harvesting
New apps that employ data analytics to provide information on weather and growing conditions, crop prices, ideal harvest windows and extreme weather monitoring are also poised for rapid expansion across emerging. In June 2017 the FAO launched four agri-apps to help farmers access better agricultural services. Offerings included Cure and Feed Your Livestock, a platform providing real-time information on animal disease and feeding strategies; e-Nutrifood, which provides information on production, conservation and consumption of nutritious foods; Weather and Crop Calendar, which combines information about weather, crop calendars and a warning system for risks; and AgriMarketplace, designed to facilitate price access and improve trade.
Mobile Insurance Apps
Mobile apps offering micro- and index-based crop insurance are also on the rise across emerging markets, with the Microinsurance Network’s Agricultural Insurance Working Group reporting in 2014 that the world’s 2bn smallholder farmers are better able to invest in cash-crop production after obtaining crop insurance coverage. In South-east Asia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam have established government-subsidised crop insurance schemes with the assistance of mobile technology. According to the Stockholm Environment Institute, a non-profit research and policy organisation, Indonesia is moving to improve its own agri-insurance scheme to meet demand.
Fires & Reforestation
In January 2018 the Peruvian government launched its Sierra Azul (Blue Highlands) programme to boost farmer incomes, unveiling plans to roll out approximately 600 planting and water harvesting projects in an effort to promote responsible and sustainable agriculture in the High-Andean area. Projects include establishing 300 qochas (micro-reservoirs) and 300 irrigation projects, as well as a large-scale reforestation initiative that seeks to plant more than 50,000 saplings. In May 2017 Indonesia, the world’s top producer of palm oil, launched the Masterplan for Renewable Resources-Driven Green Growth. South Sumatra’s total area of oil palm plantation rose from 870,000 ha in 2011 to 1.11m in 2014, with the attendant deforestation and peatland draining leading to fires that destroyed 700,000 ha of forest in 2015. The World Bank estimated that the total cost of the fires exceeded $16bn, or 2% of Indonesia’s GDP. The bank also stated that the only way Indonesia could meet its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 29% by the year 2030 would be to stop the practices that led to the palm oil fires.
While technology can play an important role in mitigating the worst impacts of climate change and natural disasters, boosting global agricultural resiliency will require policy reforms at all levels of government to emphasise sustainability, environmental protection and the effective management of natural resources.
