A new breed of tech-savvy farmers is emerging throughout Kenya.
Sometimes
called "telephone farmers", they are making use of a growing number of
technologies and platforms to help them choose and manage their crops
more efficiently.And mobile devices are giving a growing number of them the ability to do this while continuing to live and work in the city.
As US President Barack Obama said during his recent visit to the country: "Kenya is on the move."
Cloud farming
Tech giant IBM's EZ-Farm project - currently being trialled in Kenya - is exploring how sophisticated data analytics can help farmers keep in touch with what is really happening on their out-of-town smallholdings.Sensors strategically placed around the farm monitor water tank levels, the amount of moisture in the soil, as well as the performance of irrigation equipment
Water scientist Dr Kala Fleming is leading the EZ-Farm project for IBM
And infrared cameras measure rates of photosynthesis, which can indicate whether crops are being watered too much or too little.
All this data is streamed wirelessly to the IBM Cloud and accessed by the farmer via a smartphone app.
"These 'telephone farmers' can often only travel to visit their farms at weekends," says IBM lead water and agriculture researcher, Dr Kala Fleming. "They are looking for smart solutions to better manage the water resources needed to irrigate and grow their crops.
"Creating a digital network of small-scale farms and water users also provides opportunities for other organisations looking to launch value-added services to generate revenue and increase productivity."
But not too many small-scale farmers will be able to afford such hi-tech equipment.
