Climate-Smart Decision Support System for Women- and Youth-Run Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to Enhance Rice Production and Improve Livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa

Cecilia Limera of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in Kenya will develop a platform to convert weather information into practical recommendations that support data-driven, rice crop management in Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and Ghana. The platform will complement existing weather information systems and serve to boost rice production by women- and youth-run MSMEs, improving the livelihoods of rice farmers. They will co-create the platform with MSMEs in the four countries after identifying their needs and climate change-related challenges. The platform will integrate satellite data with weather data from a network of weather stations and sensors. It will analyze this data, including customizable AI-based modeling, to provide climate-smart guidance to optimize rice production. This guidance will be accessible through user-friendly mobile and web-based formats.