Technology, Energy and Transport Inefficiencies in West Africa’s Smallholder Farms: Implications for Socio-economic Development and Food Security
摘要
The chapter examines the inefficiencies of technology, energy and transport in West Africa’s smallholder farms, with ramifications for socio-economic development and food security. Particularly, the chapter focused on how efficient transport systems, precision and climate-smart agriculture can be leveraged through the technology-energy mix to reduce post-harvest food loss and waste (PHFLW), poor production output and the mitigation of climate change challenges on smallholder farming in West Africa. By employing the documentary method of data collection and Transformation Theory, the chapter found that there is need for radical and fundamental change of government policies and actions regarding technology, transport and energy sectors in West Africa, particularly in rural areas where smallholder farmers still rely on crude and traditional methods of farming that are unsustainable.