2023 Agriculture Apocalypse: The Dire Challenges Facing Our Food Supply that Demands Immediate and Collective Action

Table of Contents.

·         We are all Connected by Agriculture

·         Growing World’s Population

·         Climate Changes and Global Warming

·         Erosion

·         Availability of Fresh Ground Water

·         Outdated Practices of Cultivation

·         Why do we need to collaborate?

We are all Connected by Agriculture

If there’s one thing that connects the people of the world, it’s agriculture, all the world’s population depends on agriculture for their daily food essentials and other basic requirements. Despite the insatiable hunger for agriculture in our daily existence, we have abandoned everything to the small-scale farmers who are disconnected, underprivileged, unsupported, and untraceable, with little understanding of how to cultivate the land sustainably.

The areas dedicated to farming and the growth of edible plants are mostly rural, underdeveloped, disconnected, unmapped and little or no understanding of their climatic conditions.  As the world's very survival and well-being rests heavily on the thriving state of the agricultural industry, it is of paramount importance that we closely monitor and address the struggles this sector faces, swiftly taking action to minimize potential dangers and ensuring a steady and reliable supply of food and other valuable agricultural goods. The most pressing challenges currently facing the agricultural industry include a sharp decline in the availability of fertile land and precious freshwater, the use of outdated and inefficient farming techniques, the depletion of vital natural resources, and the alarming increase in environmental pollution. All of these factors pose a severe threat to the sustainability of agriculture today. The Dire Challenges Facing Our Food Supply that Demands Immediate and Collective Action are:

Growing World’s Population

The escalating rate at which the world's population is expanding is causing immense alarm and distress, with projections indicating that it will soar from its current 7.5 billion to an overwhelming 10 billion by 2050. This means that the resources required to produce food for these burgeoning numbers of people must also expand at a commensurate rate to fulfill the basic need of survival. Not only will the growing population necessitate an increase in food production, but as the economic situation of developing countries improves, more individuals will be able to afford luxuries such as meat, fish, and dairy, which they currently cannot due to lower average incomes.

Climate Changes and Global Warming

The devastating effects of climate change and global warming on agriculture are one of the greatest threats facing our world today. Studies have shown a 5% decline in crop yields per decade due to the detrimental impact of climate change on agriculture. The increasing frequency of heatwaves, weather volatility, droughts, storms, insect infestations, and flooding caused by global warming pose dire threats to agriculture.

Climate change is anticipated to substantially contribute to food insecurity in the future, with food prices likely to soar as a result of reduced agricultural productivity. Climate change can also severely hinder farmers' ability to grow food at an economic cost. Increasingly unpredictable weather and catastrophic events such as floods and droughts can alter growing seasons, restrict the availability of water, and lead to an increase in the growth of weeds, pests, and fungi, all of which can significantly decrease crop productivity.

 Climate change forces smallholder farmers to move to more fertile lands, but as certain areas become climatically unsuitable for agriculture, the availability of fertile lands will continue to decrease. Additionally, extreme weather events caused by climate change can result in sudden reductions in agricultural productivity.

Erosion

Erosion, the geological process that causes earthen materials to be worn away or transported by natural forces such as wind or water, poses a grave threat to agriculture. Soil, a natural resource that may seem infinite, but in reality takes thousands of years to form, is incredibly delicate. The topmost layer of soil, closest to the surface of the land, contains essential minerals for plants to grow. Through the process of erosion, if this layer is worn away or transported due to wind or water, it can negatively impact crop yield by decreasing soil fertility. This is a global problem as the rate of soil erosion is greater than the rate of its formation, causing many previously fertile lands to become infertile. To combat the escalating effects of soil erosion, immediate and decisive actions for smarter land management are crucial.

Availability of Fresh Ground Water

Fresh groundwater is a rapidly depleting natural resource, with 70% of the world's accessible freshwater being used by agriculture. However, many traditional practices and careless use of this water in agricultural processes result in 60% of it being wasted. Practices such as leaky irrigation systems, inefficient application methods, and the cultivation of crops that require higher amounts of water in the environment where they are grown are all contributing to the drying up of the world's water, are under severe threat of water scarcity, which in turn poses a threat to agriculture.

Outdated Practices of Cultivation

Outdated practices of cultivation continue to be a threat to agriculture today, despite significant advancements in the world. Agriculture is still considered a profession mainly for smallholder farmers living in rural areas who rely on old and traditional methods of cultivation. The use of outdated methods of agriculture is also a threat as it leads to lower crop yields and increased costs, making it difficult for farmers to compete in the global market. It is imperative that we modern

Why do we need to collaborate?

We are desperate to collaborate to tackle all of the above challenges.  All key players in Agriculture need to come together connected into a single ecosystem: Mazao Hub.

Each player need to have a tool connected to all other key players. Each key player is empowered to digitize the entire crop production activities with real time insights. By Mapping their farmers and farmlands including climatic conditions of each area to understand the unique challenges each farmer faces, policymakers and organizations can better target the right solutions.

 This will also allow for better monitoring of progress and performance each farmer using Mazao Hub Farm Management system. And for more effective interventions, such as providing access to finance, support, advice or more improved technology. It also allows for better data collection, which can be used to inform decisions about policies and investments.

Mazao Hub promotes best production practices for over 100 crops, with detailed record-keeping and monitoring of environmental and supply chain variables. By mapping farmers, it allows for the traceability and transparency of farm production, enabling small-scale farmers to be competitive in the global marketplace.

As Mazao Hub ecosystem, provide modules for each user and partner:

1.       AMCOS management system for Cooperatives to have real time insights on performance or progress of each farmer in their related unions or groups. Including crop collection, financial management, inputs or manufacturing in case they venture into manufacturing and much more. Cooperatives will have all data related to mapped farmers, their farms, productions and financial history

2.       Farmers and farming management system for AMCOS to have real time insights on performance of each farmer in their groups including crop collection, financial management, inputs distribution and much more. AMCOS will have all data related to mapped farmers, their farms, productions and financial history . Unions will have all data related to mapped farmers, their farms, productions and financial history

3.       Warehouse management system, to have insights in real time on movement of crops, storage and all other related warehouse management system

4.       Farm management for farm enterprises

5.       Inputs distribution management for agro dealers

6.       Crop collection and manufacturing management for manufacturers

7.       Agronomy management system for agronomists

8.       And much more

We provide all these modules to our users in partnership with investment firms, banks, insurance and various agricultural stakeholders who are more interested with clean data for future commercial ventures. We invite partners like Cooperatives, Farmers unions, investment firms, banks, insurance and various agricultural stakeholders to join us on MAP MY FARMERCAMPAIGN to map all farmers in Tanzania.

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