FARM INSPECTION POST COVID-19.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of lifestyle changes were enforces to curb the spread of the virus.
    The most important is the lock down restrictions which reduced movements within and outside states, countries and this affected farm visits.

   These restrictions is also accompanied with social distancing, wearing of masks and the washing of hands. Biosecurity protocols on farms follow these stringent rules to curb the spread of the Corona virus, now the issue of inspection on farms is a game changer.

  The Corona virus pandemic has raised the bar on biosecurity, so how will farmers engage veterinarians?

 New technologies must be employed to ensure safety of animals and farmers. Technologies designed to help farmers overcome COVID-19 restrictions may have longer-term value changing the face of farm inspections.


    This is where using phones, data, and an interactive platform will come in handy. Telecommunications is not only to ensure food security but food safety as well.

   Farm visitation, assessment and health status check of animals can be done remotely using technological innovation.  Pre- Covid-19, the use of cameras,cctv, monitors on farms was limited but post Covid-19,this will be the new norm.

   Farms can be accessed using monitors and certain sensors to check health status of animals, this will limit human and vehicular traffic. This is precision livestock farming: hands-free model to promote biosecurity.

   Read :Red Tractor innovation . Red Tractor may offer a model for others where a physical presence may no longer be possible or necessary. Standard Red Tractor assessments in the U.K. came to halt in March, but pandemic or no pandemic, the scheme needed to ensure that its members were adhering to its standards.

   It now does this through what it has termed “virtual eyes” Rather than accept an inspector on farm, members of the scheme can now be checked via one of two ways.

 One option requires members to submit documentation for pre-assessment which is then followed by a partial assessment using live-streaming technologies to produce a real-time farm inspection.

Alternatively, the entire assessment – reviewing paperwork and a visual inspection – can be streamed live with an assessor.

COVID-19 forces agrifood industries to adapt, innovate.

 This is the new norm in the face of the novel corona virus. Many agribusiness ventures are changing the way business is done.

  

  Today, a lot of the agrifood industries have a stronger presence in take-aways, deliveries at your door step . 

    This has created a  strong supply chain with emphasis on online placement of orders and door-door delivery.

    

The pandemic has shown that we need to change our model, the innovators in the food sectors raking in cash now are those with products with extended shelf-life.

       How has the Covid-19 Pandemic changed your business? share your thoughts. 

  Read Jacqueline Pieters, thoughts. Jacqueline Pieters lead finance and investment with the World Business Council of Sustainable Development at Rabobank, .

Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, recently spoke at a Women in Food and Agriculture webinar,

 “How Have Different Food and Agribusiness Leaders Addressed COVID-19 Challenges?”

    

Digital technology and food security.

Digital technology has made its way into various industries but its impact in agriculture has the highest advantages with food security being on top of the list.

Farmers have harnessed the use of technology as a tool to grow their business and also as a selling platform to reach out to consumers and connect to would be customers. 

 The task to feed the ever growing population estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050 is no small one and farmers,are employing all available tools to keep up with the demand. The use of precision agriculture is not a new concept as more and more farmers are imbibing this concept to promote growth and development of their agribusiness. 

Phones are the simplest tool in this digital transformation as this is used as a platform for training, dissemination of information ,marketplace and data management. 

Read more and this Digital technology is helping farmers and agribusinesses build resilience, achieve scale and develop sustainable solutions in Africa. 

This is what the “fourth industrial revolution” looks like for increasing numbers of the world’s smallholder farmers. Nearly a third of the global population relies on agriculture for a living, and growth in this sector has been shown to be at least twice as effective at reducing poverty as growth in other sectors. But progress can be frustratingly slow. 

The average African maize farmer, for instance, produces five times less per hectare than the average American grower. A variety of new digital applications are now accelerating interventions that have been shown to improve productivity and growth in this sector. 

Connected Farmer, for instance, is a mobile product started in East Africa from a public-private partnership between Vodafone, USAID and the nonprofit TechnoServe, to help farmers work with agribusinesses and better manage continue