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Roundup: Kenya bets on ICT to hasten agriculture modernization

Xinhua, June 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Kenyan government will harness digital tools to lift the agriculture sector from a stagnation occasioned by dysfunctional value chains and low participation of the youthful workforce, senior officials said on Tuesday

Cabinet Secretary for ICT Joe Mucheru said a digital boom Kenya has experienced lately will be channeled to the agriculture sector to hasten its modernization.

"The government will harness ICT to transform agriculture sector at all levels ranging from production, marketing and storage. There is a consensus on the need to embed technology in farming activities," Mucheru said.

He spoke in Nairobi during the unveiling of the African Development Bank's (AfDB) ten year strategy to accelerate agricultural transformation in Africa.

Kenyan policymakers were sensitized on the continental lending institution's new roadmap to re-invent farming through technology adoption, investments and policy reforms.

Mucheru noted that growth of the ICT sector in Kenya has unleashed benefits to smallholder farmers, herders and fishermen.

"Adoption of new technologies and innovations has created positive impacts from the farm to fork. The youth in particular have been enticed back to farming thanks to use of smart phones to access weather information and other agronomic practices," said Mucheru.

He noted the influence of unscrupulous middlemen has been waning as smallholders use smart phones to access real time information on prices of agricultural produce.

Kenya will scale up investments in broadband infrastructure in the rural counties to ensure small scale farmers have access to high speed internet connection.

Mucheru said installation of 5G networks in the counties will have a positive impact on agricultural activities.

"We are moving to an exciting era in farming where it is possible to install sensors that can monitor irrigation, maturity of crops, diseases and pests," Mucheru said.

Kenya has developed a ten year strategy covering 2020-2030 to hasten modernization of the agriculture sector through policy reforms, technology and investments in irrigation.

Principal Secretary in the ministry of agriculture, Richard Lesiyampe said that ICT has catalyzed growth of agribusinesses that have created millions of jobs for the youth. Endit