For decades, agricultural stakeholders in Ghana have been ringing the alarm bell: If the country is serious about improving the lives of its farmers, boosting crop yields, and ensuring food security, then it’s time to move beyond the dominant, back-breaking traditional methods.
The manual approach to farming can no longer sustain us, especially with issues of climate change now making things tougher. The solution? – high-tech agricultural mechanization which has transformed agriculture in countries like Finland, France, and Japan, and led them to food security.
But where does Ghana stand in all of this? In 2022, Ghana was ranked 83rd on the Global Food Security Index, with sustainability and adaptation as the main hurdles. Other challenges include affordability, availability, quality, and safety.
Given our vulnerability to climate change—with its unpredictable rainfall, pests, diseases, and flooding—it’s clear that modern agricultural mechanization is our best bet to cushion these blows and boost food production.
The government has tried some solutions, providing inputs like tractors, harvesters, and irrigation services, but these efforts are far from enough. Most farmers in Ghana are small-holders and often lack the financial muscle to purchase these expensive tools. That’s where AB Precision Agro Solutions seems to be filling a gap.
AB Precision Solutions: Bringing Modern Farming to Ghana’s Doorstep
Faced with the struggles of smallholder farmers, AB Precision Agro Solutions, a Ghanaian-owned company, has taken up the challenge of delivering high-tech farming solutions. The company, led by its CEO, Albert Quaynor, believes that the path to better crop yields lies in lifting the heavy financial burden off farmers by offering mechanization services at affordable rates.
Albert’s inspiration? Hearing firsthand from farmers who are worn out by the labor-intensive nature of traditional farming. He shared, “I have experience with farmers who looking at the tiring nature of the business and the cost and all that it takes them, that is what brought about this, how can we use technology to help reduce the burden on farmers.”
Drones in the Fields: Not Just for Taking Pictures Anymore
When you hear “drones,” you might think of aerial photography or Zipline’s medical supply deliveries. But AB Precision Agro Solutions is proving that drones can do even more by transforming how we farm. Just as drones deliver life-saving medicine, they are now being used to ensure the survival of crops by spraying herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers.
Albert explains that these drones spray crops more evenly and efficiently than traditional knapsack sprayers.
“A drone can cover one acre in just five minutes, while a knapsack sprayer would take at least two to three hours,” he noted. Not only that, but drones also use fewer chemicals while ensuring every part of the field gets treated, reducing waste and increasing effectiveness.
“The drone sprays evenly,” Albert emphasized. “If let’s say there is an insect attack and you miss some parts, the parts that you miss, the insects will continue to attack the crop. So therefore then you are losing,” he added.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Smart Farming
It is indeed the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and one area this high-tech technology is disrupting is the area of agriculture in Ghana. AB Precision Solutions believes AI is not only meant for office work but can also be deployed on farms to improve yield. How? These drones are equipped with cameras that capture images and videos of the fields while they spray. The footage is sent directly to an AI software, which analyzes it to detect potential issues like pest infestations, water stress, or stunted growth.
Albert further reveals that the AI does not only perform diagnostics on the images of the farm but moves a step further to recommend solutions to remedy the situation.
“When the drone is spraying, it is taking information as it goes along so that information can be analyzed using artificial intelligence and it can help you with decision-making,” he indicated adding, “For example we have a drone that we use for crop monitoring so with crop monitoring the drone will fly over the field and take pictures of the crops so those pictures will be analyzed by software of which artificial intelligence is part of it then the end result is that the software will tell you exactly what is happening to the crops on the farm.”
He continued, “For example, it can tell you that in the back part of your farm, the crops need water. So you make sure that you water them well. The front part needs fertilizer. Or this area, there is something happening. I can’t detect what it is well, so go and check. This technology guides farmers to make data-driven decisions, ensuring optimal crop health.”
The Impact So Far: A 15% Boost in Yields
While technology can sometimes over-promise and under-deliver, AB Precision’s solutions is already making a tangible difference. Albert proudly shared that in just three years of operation, farmers who’ve embraced their technology have seen yields increase by an average of 15%.
“It’s new technology. We’ve introduced it to the farmers, they’ve experienced it and those who have experienced it have seen an average of about a 15% increase in their yield. Because they can tell that the planting season before when they didn’t use their drones to spray and then compare that yield to when they use their drones to spray they can see the increase,” he noted.
He mentions that farmers are embracing this technology given its impact and its less costly nature. Mr. Quaynor says despite the sophistication of this technology and the additional benefit, the cost is as same using knapsack sprayers. Though based in the Afram Plains, AB Precision has successfully extended its services across all 16 regions of Ghana, showing that it’s not just about technology but accessibility.
Overcoming Challenges and Looking Ahead
For AB Precision, one major hurdle is coordinating services for smallholder farmers who are often scattered across rural areas. Traveling long distances to serve a single farmer can be costly. Another challenge is securing collaboration with the government. Albert believes that partnering with the state could unlock even more benefits for farmers, especially in terms of sharing data and receiving tax breaks that would make acquiring technology more affordable.
Despite these hurdles, the company is on a mission to bring its game-changing technology to every farmer in Ghana. Albert envisions setting up drone hubs in key farming communities, ensuring that no farmer is more than 30 minutes away from accessing their services. The goal is to create a one-stop shop where smallholder farmers can access all mechanization tools at affordable rates.
“The end goal is to make this service accessible to as many farmers as possible to set up drone hubs in all the major farming communities so that they are no more than 30 minutes away from us whenever they need to take advantage of the services we offer,” adding governmental support is needed in terms of “finding the data getting to know where the farmers are and financial you know tax breaks so that we can buy these things and not have to pay a lot of taxes on them because the higher the taxes the more difficult it is for us to buy it and the more difficult it is for us to give the farmers a break.”
As Ghana faces the ongoing challenges of climate change and food insecurity, companies like AB Precision are lighting the way forward. By combining modern technology with local knowledge, they are helping to transform farming from a struggle into a sustainable livelihood.
