Digitisation of African Agriculture Through BRICS Partnerships

This policy brief examines how the BRICS bloc can support the digitisation of African agriculture to drive economic growth. It highlights the potential for investment through the New Development Bank, knowledge transfer from BRICS members' digital agricultural reforms, and the role of South Africa's 2023 BRICS chair to advance continental goals like Agenda 2063 and the AfCFTA.

• Agriculture is a primary driver of African economic development, accounting for approximately 25% of the continent's GDP and employing about 65% of its economically active population.
• The digitisation of African agriculture faces several systemic hurdles, including weak coordination among continental institutions, insufficient financial resources, low farmer education levels, and limited regulatory reforms regarding cross-border network interconnection and data protection.
• BRICS nations offer diverse models for agricultural digitisation: China has used IoT, cloud computing, and blockchain to support household-based production; Brazil employs a research-led innovation ecosystem and IoT to reduce fertiliser use by 10% and chemicals by 3%; India uses personalised digital extension services and mobile platforms for smallholders; and Russia has leveraged big data and AI to increase national wheat yields from two to three tonnes per hectare since the 1990s.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in African agriculture remains low compared to other sectors. In 2021, agriculture deals accounted for only 6% ($7.2 billion) of 116 project finance deals totaling $121 billion, with nearly 70% of investments directed toward energy and renewables.
• Trade between BRICS and the rest of Africa (2019–2021 average) shows a trade surplus for the BRICS bloc, with exports of $201 billion and imports of $145 billion. China dominates this trade, accounting for over 60% of both exports and imports.
• South Africa's 2023 BRICS chair provides an opportunity to advocate for increased FDI in African agriculture via the New Development Bank (NDB) and to foster partnerships for digital agri-finance services, such as e-vouchers and mobile-based financial autonomy for farmers.

APA

Kalaba, M. (2023). Digitisation of African Agriculture Through BRICS Partnerships. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SAIIA_PI-146_DigitisationAfricanAgriculture.pdf

Chicago

Kalaba, Matlou. Digitisation of African Agriculture Through BRICS Partnerships. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2023. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SAIIA_PI-146_DigitisationAfricanAgriculture.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kalaba |first1=Matlou |title=Digitisation of African Agriculture Through BRICS Partnerships |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2023 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SAIIA_PI-146_DigitisationAfricanAgriculture.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kalaba2023digitisation, author = {Kalaba, Matlou}, title = {{Digitisation of African Agriculture Through BRICS Partnerships}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SAIIA_PI-146_DigitisationAfricanAgriculture.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }