The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) has called on African governments to direct research funding straight to digital extension services and climate-smart soil management to boost agricultural productivity across the continent.
Confronted with stagnant crop yields and worsening climate unpredictable weather, the agricultural development organization is warning that traditional extension models can no longer reach Africa’s millions of rural smallholders in time.
Speaking in Kigali at the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum, SAA leaders noted that deploying mobile-based advisory tools directly to rural farmers remains the most effective strategy to bridge the persistent productivity gap between sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world.
Over 60 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population relies on smallholder farming, yet crop yields for staple grains like maize and sorghum remain below 40 percent of their potential capacity.
Millions of smallholder farmers suffer needlessly from poor harvests that real-time agronomic advice and basic soil testing could prevent before planting seasons begin.
Among rural farming communities across West and East Africa, the ratio of agricultural extension officers to farmers stands at an average of 1 to 3,000, a gap that leaves remote growers largely without professional support.
The Association, therefore, calls for the adoption of simple digital tools as a direct way to bridge this gap.
SAA Country Directors emphasized that “by placing interactive smartphone apps, SMS advisory services, and digital soil-testing kits in the hands of village agro-dealers, community lead farmers can diagnose crop health issues in minutes.”
They, however, emphasized that digital platforms must complement rather than replace human extension agents on the ground.
“We must use technology to scale farm advice without losing the hands-on trust established by field agents” SAA representatives noted, stressing that national governments must invest in rural network connectivity, subsidize smart devices, and fund localized agricultural research so that digital advisory services remain accessible to everyday farmers.
The organization is also calling on African ministries of agriculture to integrate digital soil mapping data into national fertilizer distribution programs and include mobile extension platforms in official national agricultural budgets.
