AFRICA – OCP Africa, a subsidiary of Moroccan phosphate and fertilizer giant OCP Group, has partnered with Microsoft’s Africa Transformation Office to strengthen food security in Africa.

Africa, similar to the rest of the world, is suffering from looming food insecurity associated with the impact of extreme weather events that have become more frequent, requiring good adaptation and resilience policies and strategies that are of critical importance for food system transformation.

During the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5), held in Doha, the partners announced this collaboration that seeks to support smallholder farmers and other Agri-stakeholders across the continent by 2025.

The partnership will enable smallholder farmers to access skills and information through agri-digital services by leveraging OCP Africa programs, such as the agri-hub concept, to support millions of farmers.

In the agreement, OCP Africa will work with the technology company to scale up its digital agriculture platform by integrating innovative technologies, including the cloud and Agri data platform.

The digital platform is meant to improve the quality of farmers’ production and enable them to better manage their businesses.

In addition, the collaboration will be an opportunity for OCP Africa to explore the use of big data, machine learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in new and existing geographical areas, improving the services offered and developing new ones.

According to Microsoft, the adoption and integration of technologies such as cloud, artificial intelligence, agricultural data platforms and Azure application modernization in the agricultural space will drive transformation in the form of precision agriculture.

“We believe that precision farming, driven by the adoption of advanced technologies in agriculture, will revolutionize food production and help end hunger and poverty in Africa,” said General Manager for Microsoft Africa Cluster Wael Elkabbany.

“Technology is the key factor in enabling and increasing access to finance, equipment, and sustainability for rural farmers, empowering local farmers in Africa. Our partnership with OCP Africa will help to directly impact smallholder farmers and improve production.”

For his part, the CEO of OCP Africa, Mohamed Anouar Jamali, stressed that “African agriculture is at a transformative moment in its history and a time of incredible opportunity and promise for farmers and industry.”

The digitization of agricultural practices in Africa enables smallholder farmers to optimize their decision-making, which helps optimize production, he added.

The partnership between OCP Africa and Microsoft will allow OCP Africa to increase the services provided, expand its digital platform, extend its reach, and have an even greater impact on food security across the continent, Jamali noted.

For all the latest food industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel.