Last year saw the farming sector in Africa create new jobs and use technology to find solutions to challenges like climate change and pests. Steps were also taken to make the sector more profitable and "cool" for young people on the continent, to help fight poverty and boost food production. Vik Chege brings us more.

2017 started out with concern for farmers in Zambia as entire maize fields were under threat of being wiped out by the Fall Army Worm. Soldiers from a unit of Zambia's military were deployed to wage war on the maize-munching bugs.

MARY SIKAONA MAIZE FARMER "I thank the government for sending the ZNS entourage to come and spray, because, I really lost crop. At first I tried to spray cypermethrin - nothing happened. I really have hope now, that the armyworms are gone."

In Kenya farmer, Mark Mukopi harvested watermelons at his farm in Trans Nzoia County in the Rift Valley region. Mukopi made the switch from maize to watermelons as they grew in popularity in the region.

MARK MUKOPI FARMER "Irrespective of the poor weather, because the short rains have not come as expected, we have had very little rain unlike what we anticipated initially so the yield has not been good as I wanted. But for a start, I am satisfied because so far I have harvested close to a ton about 800 kilos."

Across the continent in Ghana, a program launched to promote the orange-fleshed sweet potato was taking root. Vekon bakery made sweet potato bread as part of initiatives to build a value added industry around the crop.

VERONICA KONU BAKERY OWNER "When I started using sweet potatoes my income increased because people who like potatoes started buying my bread. My profit margin has increased because of sweet potatoes."

At Friendship Agroindustry in Ethiopia's Oromia region, a group of friends are running a poultry farm. The business was launched in 2010 and became the second largest supplier of chicken and other poultry products in the capital.

ABEL MEKONNEN CO-FOUNDER, FRIENDSHIP AGRO-INDUSTRY "We started with 80 chicken of layers now we have about 16,000 and the number of pullets I have told you even we have about 80 employees not 80 chicken by now. So given paying more than 250,000 salary monthly."

More women in Nigeria were also seeking ways to transform agriculture by making their farms more efficient. Kofo owns and runs Next Generation Innovative Farm in Lagos State. She adopted drip irrigation and greenhouse technologies to grow a variety of vegetables including tomatoes, peppers, okra and kale.

KOFO DUROSINMI-ETTI FOUNDER, NEXT GENERATION AFRICAN INNOVATIVE FARMS "We are not just trying to feed Nigeria; we are trying to feed Africa. When we are done with Africa, we are going to feed the world, and for us to do that successfully, effectively and efficiently, we have to work together, male or female. Gender isn't a divide; it is really your commitment and your passion that will really differentiate you."

Agriculture has the potential to reduce African poverty two to four times faster than any other sector according to experts.VC, CGTN.