Like the rest of the world, Kenya’s food systems are in the middle of a digital revolution after the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the weaknesses of present systems.
At the centre of this revolution is the Agriculture Sector Coordination and Digitisation Strategy, whose implementation roadmap was developed in partnership with Microsoft.
Addressing stakeholders during an online national dialogue on Wednesday, Agriculture CS Peter Munya said access to technology and digital connectivity for all was vital for the country to succeed in her afront on food insecurity.
“Even with access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in both urban and rural areas of Kenya growing rapidly, progress is uneven in geographic and socio-economic terms and in many areas, women and youth have less access to smartphones and digital services,” he said.
“And in many cases,” he added, “access to ICT does not translate to improved outcomes in food and nutrition security, and livelihood for agricultural communities.”
The event themed, Agriculture Data and Digitization Transformation: Considerations in Policy and Implementation Frameworks, is part of an ongoing global process in preparation for the 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit, whose national Convenor is CS Munya.
The dialogue brought together partners running different data and digital innovation initiatives across the country to share experiences and make recommendations for consideration at the UN summit.
“The future of agriculture depends on digital systems. These will improve farm produce, environment and also the health of people,” ICT PS Jerome Ochieng said.
Microsoft Country Manager Kendi Ntwiga said digitisation can help transform Kenya’s agricultural sector, improve productivity, and help the country make significant progress towards achieving food security.
“The transformation of smallholder farming to improve efficiency, productivity and assure quality controls enabled through digitisation can certainly support Kenya’s agricultural transformation strategy. It can transform the use of more than four million hectares of farmed land as well as the livelihoods of more than five million rural households. Nevertheless, to enable agricultural transformation through digitisation, a large amount of data must be collected and properly utilised,” she said.
She added that using data in decision-making can improve crop cycle timings, decrease uncertainties for investors and lower the cost of identifying opportunities, which improves overall efficiency.
Samuel Munguti, CEO of Farmer Pride, said that harnessed collaborations between the private sector and government have the potential to achieve scale and sustainability in access to digital solutions for the small-holder farmer.
Mr Sriram Bharatam of Kuza Biashara said there was the need for private sector social enterprises to build the capacity of young people and help them learn, connect and grow at scale.
“It is only through micro-entrepreneurship that we can make a difference,” he said.
Source: MY Gov