It appears that the partnership between Microsoft and TechnoBrain is taking another leap. A few weeks ago, the two technology companies sealed a deal that would make Kenya one of the five countries in the world where Microsoft tests its software before a public rollout.
The latest development will see TechnoBrain and Microsoft offer an agricultural platform for farmers to boost crop yields and hence, increase their income. The system is christened Digital Agricultural Platform – and will serve farmers across continental Africa.
It has been reported that small-scale farmers are the most vulnerable to harsh climatic conditions. Issues such as erratic weather have, for a long time, affected yield – and this is a primary concern in Sub-Saharan Africa where more than 90 percent of farming depends on rainfall.
“Agriculture is the mainstay of African economies but has a lot of untapped potentials. Many African smallholder farmers lack access to information and knowledge that would help them maximize agricultural production, and we believe that this platform offered by Techno Brain and Microsoft will empower African smallholder farmers to increase their yields and income significantly,” said Anand Mohan, Chief Operations Officer TechnoBrain.
Offerings of the platform
TechnoBrain will deploy a technology that will collect sets of data, including location via GPS tools and climate patterns in terms of rainfall patterns, as well as land type and soil nutrition. Microsoft will then use its upper hand in the processing of information using intelligent cloud services to generate insights that will then help farmers make informed farming decisions.
It has also been revealed that Microsoft is making deals with governments and businesses in India to create a system that will increase the yields an income of small-scale farmers in Africa.
“Microsoft’s vision is to use the power of our cloud and AI tools to help solve problems in core and infrastructural areas by enabling innovative and scalable solutions. The partnership with Techno Brain marks an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to help create sustainable livelihoods in Africa, India and rest of the world,” remarked Anil Bhansali, Corporate Vice President Cloud + AI Microsoft.
Lastly, the partnership looks forward to attracting the youth to farming.
