Agri-tech innovations

WITH a few taps on his phone, Dandam Nangor knows exactly what temperature his greenhouse is at, when to water his crops and even the pH of the soil.

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Backed by artificial intelligence, it's all designed to make growing his peppers easier and perhaps usher in a sort of agriculture 2.0 in Nigeria, where millions work in the sector, from subsistence farmers to, increasingly, young tech workers.

With probes in the soil collecting data, processed by local agri-tech local company Green Eden and sent to his phone, "my production has increased (by) about 400kg," or 20%, 34-year-old Nangor, who is also an IT analyst, told AFP during a visit to his greenhouse in Jos.

Farms around the Plateau state capital, sitting at 1 200 metres (4000 feet) above sea level and known for its mild climate, have long fed the nation, with their fruits and vegetables ending up in markets across Nigeria.

But they haven't been spared from climate change, as increasingly erratic rainfall threatens farmers across west Africa, the majority of whom are small-holders who operate without irrigation.

The stakes are high for the whole country: some 20% of Nigeria's GDP comes from agriculture.

"That was the simple problem, the weather. Climate change," said Stephanie Meltus, founder of Green Eden, whose tech has been deployed on more than 70 farms. "That's what we are trying to solve."