Madagascar bets on digital infrastructure to transform its farming sector 🌱🇲🇬

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Madagascar’s agricultural sector is the backbone of its economy — accounting for 30% of GDP, 40% of export revenues, and employing nearly 70% of the active workforce. Yet for all its importance, it still runs largely without structured data or real-time information tools. On June 30, 2026, backed by the World Bank, the country took a significant step toward changing that, presenting a digital transformation strategy for its farming sector.

A strategically vital but technically fragile sector 🌾

The diagnosis behind this digital shift is straightforward: despite its critical economic weight, Madagascar’s farming sector still operates largely in the dark — without structured data or real-time monitoring. Producers lack access to pricing information, weather updates, and best practices guidance, leaving them ill-equipped to anticipate climate shocks or optimize yields.

Digital infrastructure built around data sovereignty 🔐

To address this, Madagascar is building a public digital agricultural infrastructure designed as an interoperable technical foundation. The goal isn’t simply to digitize services — it’s to ensure that data on agriculture, livestock, and fisheries remains controlled and accessible at the national level, without excessive dependence on external platforms. This approach is part of a national roadmap currently being developed with support from the World Bank and the FAO.

Three first digital solutions for producers 📲

Building on this foundation, three initial digital solutions were presented at the June 30 workshop. A unified national producer directory will allow authorities to identify and register farmers across the country. A price monitoring system, paired with real-time weather alerts, will give producers better visibility on market conditions and immediate climate risks. A digital agricultural advisory platform will then deliver personalized recommendations based on crop type, geographic location, and local climate conditions. These solutions were developed by three tech companies under the supervision of NextA. Similar projects are also underway in the livestock sector, including the digitization of beehive tracking and cattle health monitoring.

Toward a more anticipatory and resilient farming model 🚀

Through this strategy, Madagascar aims to build lasting data infrastructure for its agricultural sector and scale these services nationally. The ambition goes beyond technical modernization: it’s about shifting Malagasy agriculture from a reactive model — vulnerable to climate and information shocks — to a proactive one, capable of anticipating and adapting.

Do you think food security in Africa is as much about servers as it is about soil? Share your thoughts in the comments.