Mobile Technology: A Panacea to Food Insecurity In Nigeria -- A Case Study of SELL HARVEST Application

TL;DR

This paper explores how mobile technology, specifically the Sell Harvest app, can enhance agricultural productivity and address food insecurity in Nigeria by bridging farmers and consumers and promoting sustainable farming practices.

Contribution

It introduces the Sell Harvest mobile application as a novel digital farming solution tailored to Nigeria's agricultural challenges.

Findings

Sell Harvest improves farmers' access to markets and resources.

The app promotes sustainable farming practices among users.

Mobile technology can significantly reduce food insecurity in Nigeria.

Abstract

Over time, agriculture is the most consistent activity, and it evolves every day. It contributes to a vast majority of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria but as ironic as it may be, there is still hunger in significant parts of the country due to low productivity in the agricultural sector and comparison to the geometric population growth. During the first half of 2022, agriculture contributed about 23% of the country's GDP while the industry and services sector had a share of the remaining 77%. This showed that with the high rate of agricultural activities, Nigeria has not achieved food security for the teeming population. and more productivity levels can be attained. Technology can/will assist Nigeria in overcoming global poverty and hunger quicker in both rural and urban areas. Today, there are many types of agricultural technologies available for farmers all over the world to increase productivity. Major technological advancements include indoor vertical farming, automation, robotics, livestock technology, modern greenhouse practices, precision agriculture, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. Mobile phones have one of the highest adoption rates of technologies developed within the last century. Digitalization will bring consumers and farmers closer together to access the shortest supply chain possible and reduce rural poverty and hunger. The paper will review the different agricultural technologies and propose a mobile solution, code Sell Harvest, to make farming more sustainable and secure food. Keywords: Sell Harvest, Agriculture, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, and Digital Farming.