Empowering Farmers Across The Digital Divide In Malawi With OpenHarvest
IBM News, Friday, October 20,2023
The landlocked country of Malawi, located in southeastern Africa, is home to rich, arable land and a subtropical climate suitable for farming.
As a result, over 80% of the population is employed in agriculture, and their livelihood revolves around alternating rainy and dry seasons that dictate how the year's planting, growing and harvesting will unfold. But the once predictable seasons that smallholder farmers rely on are steadily shifting due to climate change.
When the rainy season arrives later than expected, many Malawian farmers still follow outdated agronomy practices that may lead them to plant too early or too late. Smallholder farmers lack access to hyperlocal weather forecasting and data that can help increase their crops' chances of success, which jeopardizes the productivity and profitability of their season. Their challenges are compounded further by inherent and unavoidable farming risks, such as pests, contamination and natural disasters.