Nakuru: Nakuru County government has recruited and trained 309 agripreneurs who will empower farmers on innovative digital solutions and technologies for improved crop production and food sufficiency for local consumption and export. Deputy Governor David Kones said with adoption of innovative digital tools, farmers would be able to enhance the ability to grow sufficient food and ensure food security.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kones regretted that communities were currently experiencing fallout from the climate change crisis resulting in drought and water crisis, volatile weather, unstable food production and loss of livelihood. He, however, assured that Governor Susan Kihika’s administration, through the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Veterinary Services, had been promoting innovative digital solutions aimed at empowering farmers, boosting productivity, and expanding market access.
The Deputy Governor made the remarks when he commissioned 309 newly recruited and trained agripreneurs who would be working under the National Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP). The County Deputy Head stated that the recruitment of the agripreneurs was a great milestone in transforming the county’s agricultural sector from subsistence to commercial.
He said the agripreneurs were going to work under the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries for the next 18 months and explained that their work would involve registration and profiling farming households as well as non-household farms, including large, commercial, institutional, greenhouse, and ranch operations. Kones indicated that the agripreneurs had been equipped with the necessary digital tools to enable them to perform their roles effectively, adding that registration of farmers on a digital platform would enable the agripreneurs to provide farmer-specific interventions.
Calling on the agripreneurs to work diligently while empowering farmers to go beyond cultivation, add value, build sustainable businesses, and create jobs, Kones told them that they had a critical role in strengthening agricultural extension services to boost productivity and create sustainable livelihoods for smallholder farmers through improved market access for their produce. ‘The other tasks of the agripreneurs would be profiling the various value chain actors, mapping and taking the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the agricultural farms in their wards, as well as offering training and extension services to the farmers,’ Kones added.
The agripreneurs would not be national or county employees but rather entrepreneurs who could tap opportunities that include the sale of inputs, aggregation services, value addition, veterinary services, as well as breeding and brooding, Kones elaborated. The agripreneurs will perform diverse roles, including acting as a link between farmers and the market, and also provide services such as financial literacy and climate-smart advisory services, as well as ways to access mechanisation, farm inputs and credit services, he added.
Kones also said they would be key players at the aggregation centres, as they would be required to provide mentorship and facilitate value addition among farmers. The Deputy Governor said the agripreneurs had been retooled to empower smallholder farmers across the 11 sub-counties into the formal economy and link them with other actors in the agricultural value chain to bring about the much-needed transformation in the agricultural sector.
He stated that the cohort had been equipped with skills to incorporate technology, new ideas, innovative approaches, basic education and technical capacity building to demonstrate practical ways to grow more produce, create processing capacity and impact market share on a grand scale. ‘They have acquired skills that will help them guide farmers on best agricultural practices, pest management, and irrigation techniques,’ explained Kones.
He stated that the agripreneurs would be tasked with connecting farmers across all the 11 sub-counties with suppliers for quality inputs and linking them to markets to secure fair prices, as well as assisting farmers in accessing financial services, supporting loan applications, and connecting them with providers of farm and mechanisation services. Additionally, he said the agripreneurs would be expected to regularly track progress, provide feedback for improvement, and maintain accurate records to inform decision-making and planning in the agricultural sector in the county.
Kones said the agripreneurs were expected to work hand in hand with extension officers in every sub-county to educate farmers on agribusiness and ensure Kenya achieves food security, which would further boost revenue collected in agriculture as well as improve the lives of farmers in the country. In response to the adverse effects of climate change on agricultural activities, Kones said farmers needed to practice climate-smart agriculture and reduce dependence on rain-fed farming for assured sustainability and good yields.
He indicated that digital farmer services could help improve the lives of farmers, support an ecosystem of agriculture tech actors and design digital services specifically for women and marginalized groups. The Deputy Governor consequently called for the adoption of more digital tools by farmers to address the challenges the global food system faces due to climate change.
He was happy that the County Government was doing all it could to support agri-techs and accelerate the scale of digital agriculture technologies to address the principal challenges faced by the agricultural system. The Deputy Governor observed that the application of a technology approach in agriculture not only empowered communities but also catalysed a shift towards a more sustainable and resilient future.
A study conducted by the Global System for Mobile Communications, a global association representing mobile operators, found that farmers using digital services were able to increase their crop yields by up to 50 percent. They also saw a rise in incomes because they could sell their produce at better prices after gaining access to market prices. According to the study, many farmers revealed that the simple act of learning to use the smartphone and accessing digital platforms had made a huge difference in their productivity.
‘Agriculture as a sector should be driven by profitability and innovation to make it exciting and attractive to young people,’ Kones noted. He underscored the importance of adopting modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to boost efficiency and appealed to younger generations to invest more in innovations for enhanced livelihoods.
Through a training programme, the agricultural entrepreneurs have been equipped with essential business skills like marketing, financial management, quality control, and technical knowledge related to their chosen farming practices, aiming to enhance their ability to run profitable and sustainable agricultural ventures within the Kenyan market. They were also equipped with skills to develop comprehensive business plans that include market analysis, cost projections, and financial strategies, understanding market trends, customer needs, and effective marketing channels to reach consumers and sell agricultural products.