Agricultural Technology in Rural Areas
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Essential Technology for Agricultural Advancement in Rural Kenya
Agriculture plays a vital role in Kenya and has been the primary source of income for most citizens. Agriculture is popularly known as the backbone of Kenya’s economy that has contributed to the economic prosperity of the country in the past decades. It has committed significantly to employing the people in rural areas, besides giving nutritional value for the whole country. Kenya has made progress in agriculture over the past years but has not reached its full potential. Technological advancements are significant to help the country achieve this potential.
Dairy Technology
Studies have revealed that the adoption of technology in the dairy sector, like improved breeds and milking technology, is relatively low in Kenya. The reasons for the country’s failure to technology in the dairy sector is not clear. However, farmers that choose to adopt the new methods individually reap the benefits that include an increase in farm produce and quality, which in turn raises their income (Kebebe et al., 2017). The government, in conjunction with the farmers’ unions, need to give legal platforms that will enable the farmers to spot the necessary technological advancements for animal feeds management and their health services.
Marketing Technology
After farming, the farmers need to sell their products to gain a source of income. However, most farmers, especially in rural areas, have a limited market as they are uncertain of the marketing opportunities in other areas. Experts have introduced digital marketing platforms that connect buyers to sellers regardless of the geographical distance. The main aim of the platform is to eliminate the middlemen who are well known for exploiting farmers. The government needs to create and introduce more marketing platforms in rural areas to help both small scale and large-scale farmers concentrate on farming and worry less about the market.
Mobile Phone Technology
Besides communication, mobile phones are great farming tools that can contribute to boosting the agricultural sector. Mobile phones enable the farmers to gain access to crucial farming information such as methods for increasing productivity, handling crop, and animal diseases, and improving marketing strategies. The report also promotes better decision making and increase productivity (Misaki et al., 2018). Additionally, mobile phones are relatively cheaper compared to other advanced systems such as robots; hence it would be a good start for the small-scale farmers in rural areas.
Weather technologies
Due to global warming, unpredictable weather patterns have become a significant challenge for the farmers who now depend on luck to estimate the seasons. The trends have led to the declining production of farm produce, which is posing a threat to food security in the country. Therefore, the government needs to introduce advancements like crop agro-advisories for the weather, crop insurance, land leveling, and rainwater harvesting, among others (Khatri-Chhetri et al., 2017). Most of these methods are economical and will benefit the rural farmers helping them worry less about climate uncertainty.
Conclusion
Most farmers in Kenya, especially in the rural areas, face several barriers such as lack of enough agricultural information, inadequate market information, unpredictable weather patterns, among others. The barriers hinder them from attaining full agricultural production. Technological improvement in the agriculture sector is the best solution to eliminate the obstacles and give the farmers full credit for their hard work.
References
Kebebe, E. G., Oosting, S. J., Baltenweck, I., & Duncan, A. J. (2017). Characterisation of adopters and non-adopters of dairy technologies in Ethiopia and Kenya. Tropical animal health and production, 49(4), 681-690.
Misaki, E., Apiola, M., Gaiani, S., & Tedre, M. (2018). Challenges facing sub‐Saharan small‐scale farmers in accessing farming information through mobile phones: A systematic literature review. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries, 84(4), e12034.
Khatri-Chhetri, A., Aggarwal, P. K., Joshi, P. K., & Vyas, S. (2017). Farmers’ prioritization of climate-smart agriculture (CSA) technologies. Agricultural systems, 151, 184-191.
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