Now technological innovation is starting to help boost production. Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD), a Boston-based non-profit organisation, for example, uses text messaging to teach farmers in western Kenya how to use agricultural lime — which helps combat soil acidity — as well as how to fight the fall armyworm, a pest that tears through crops and destroys livelihoods. PAD, which works in several countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda, is one of a growing number of non-profit organisations and companies disseminating technology tools to transform the growing practices of smallholders — farmers with small plots of land relying almost exclusively on family labour. The dual effects of climate change and population growth have thrust smart agriculture on to the agenda, as farmers and governments scramble to prepare for rising food demand.

https://www.ft.com/content/3316885c-b07d-11e8-87e0-d84e0d934341