Côte d'Ivoire Flying Labs Establishes Agrohubs to Maximize Farm Productivity

By Côte d'Ivoire Flying Labs

In order to meet the rising demands of a rapidly expanding population, Africa’s agricultural sector must achieve an annual growth rate of 6%, as estimated by the African Development Bank. This emphasizes the crucial role small and medium-sized farmers play in maximizing their farm productivity, leveraging new technologies and adopting sustainable farming practices.

This is especially true for Côte d’Ivoire, where over the years, innovative initiatives  such as Côte d’Ivoire Flying Labs have introduced advancements such as aerial spraying services by drones to help farmers improve their yields while simultaneously reducing production costs.

A persistent challenge for Côte d’Ivoire Flying Labs, however, has been extending the benefits of our technologies to small and medium-sized farmers, particularly in crops like cotton, corn, cashew nuts, and market gardening. To address this challenge, we are collaborating with Investiv and Afrique Phyto Plus to actively contribute to the establishment of Agrohubs.

An Agrohub serves as both a store for purchasing agricultural inputs and a precision agriculture service center. These hubs are strategically placed in villages and production areas, established in collaboration with agricultural cooperatives. The objective of the Agrohub project is to facilitate access to services such as aerial spraying by drone, training in good agricultural practices, and the supply of quality inputs to farmers.

Fulfilling an important aspect of this project, Côte d'Ivoire Flying Labs actively participates in the training of service center agents for agricultural drone piloting. This training aims to ensure that these agents can provide high-quality services to farmers. Notably, during the launch of the first Agrohub in November 2023, four remote pilots underwent a two-week training program, followed by three months of personalized monitoring services.

Between 2023 and 2025, this collaborative venture will install four Agrohubs distributed in key agricultural production areas in Côte d’Ivoire. According to Aboubakar Karim, the Managing Director of Côte d’Ivoire Flying Labs and Investiv, "the project will contribute to having an impact on more than 5,000 farmers, particularly with regard to improving their yield."

It is our hope that with a focus on accessibility and quality services, the impact of these Agrohubs will spread across production areas, making a significant stride towards a more resilient and flourishing agricultural sector in the region.