Nakuru: About 20,000 livestock farmers from Nakuru County will profit from an ICT innovations’ programme geared towards enhancing their connectivity and access to accurate and timely information that will impact value chain efficiency, productivity, and income.
According to Kenya News Agency, County Secretary and Head of Public Service Dr. Samuel Mwaura stated that the programme is a partnership between the devolved unit’s administration, Enigma Four LTD, and VetNow Kenya Limited. This initiative aims at training the farmers on various mobile and web apps targeting agricultural-oriented advisory and information services, market linkages, financial access, and supply chain management, among others.
Dr. Mwaura explained that the programme was informed by the growing need among Kenyan farmers to use and implement ICT solutions to create linkages with existing and potential markets that would offer good prices for their produce while reducing post-harvest losses. He highlighted that although ICT was not well developed in the country’s agricultural sector, it should be embraced as it was the driving force, not only in farming but also in other related sectors such as agricultural industrialisation.
Enigma Four LTD will provide Agritech solutions designed to modernise agricultural data management within Nakuru County. This will streamline data capture during farmer interactions, facilitate real-time data synchronisation, and provide actionable insights to extension officers, county agricultural departments, and other agricultural stakeholders for informed decision-making, enhancing efficiency in data collection, real-time reporting, improved disease surveillance, extension services, and greater adoption of sustainable agricultural practices.
The VetNow platform will offer remote veterinary care to farmers through consultations, disease recognition, treatment initiations, and disease surveillance, enabling timely responses to frequent disease outbreaks and improving herd health while reducing disease-related productivity losses. Dr. Mwaura expressed optimism that the partnership would enhance the economic well-being of smallholder farmers through innovative technology to help increase productivity and help the county to make data-informed decisions in matters of agricultural development.
County Executive Committee Member in charge of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Livestock, Mr. Leonard Bor, noted that farmers could access firsthand information on best farming practices from agricultural experts at Nakuru Farmers Call Centre via SMS, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, and calls, complementing the work of agricultural extension officers in the area. He mentioned that increased adoption of ICT was now drawing youth to farming and agricultural practices while providing them with access to market information, pest and disease control practices, production techniques, new technologies, and financing opportunities.
Enigma Four Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Brian Oyugi, assured that the innovative data exchange platform is designed to revolutionize the agricultural sector’s collaboration and innovation. It empowers organisations across the agricultural landscape to seamlessly share, integrate, and leverage valuable data for the greater good, supporting the goals of Kenya Vision 2030 for a food-secure and prosperous nation.
VetNow Kenya Limited Vice President of Operations and Engagement, Dr. Alexis Kiers, explained that the integration of ICT innovations, technologies, and data will play a significant role in enabling better, timely, and actionable knowledge, increasing the speed of data and information distribution related to weather situations, and providing mobile-based extension services to address key issues faced by farmers.
County Agriculture Chief Officer Mr. Newton Mwaura highlighted that from data analytics to the use of drones, ICT is revolutionising agriculture with improved productivity, translating into increased earnings for farmers across the country. He emphasised that the use of technology in e-agriculture is accelerating agricultural development by adapting innovative means to improve existing information and communication processes.