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Airtel and GSMA to Provide Mobile Information to Kenyan Farmers
Published on:
Airtel Africa is working with the GSMA to initiate a project to provide approximately 250,000 small-holder farmers in Kenya agricultural information via their mobile phones.
The project, dubbed 'Sauti ya Mkulima' (Swahili for voice of the farmer), aims to provide farmers with access to pertinent agriculture-related information, advice and research that will help them make better decisions about their crops, increasing the productivity of their yield, as well as their potential income. It will also help create a farmer community within which peers can share experiences and exchange information about social gatherings, events, and job opportunities.
As part of the partnership, the GSMA mFarmer initiative - supported by USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - has awarded Airtel US$400,000 to be used towards the 'Sauti ya Mkulima' project.
The funds will be used to develop a reliable database of content with the help of partners such as the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International (CABI), an inter-governmental not-for-profit organization and radio-based information provider Kilimo Media, as well as to set up the capabilities to execute the project.
Initially, 'Sauti ya Mkulima' will focus on small-holder Kenyan farmers engaged in maize, banana, mango, rice, beans and horticulture (tomato and black night shade) crops. Information on more crops will be added on a quarterly basis.
Airtel said that it plans to develop the model and eventually replicate it across all its markets on the continent.
Tags: [airtel] [gsma] [usaid] [Kenya]
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