ACWICT’s Digital Agriculture Pillar: Empowering small holder Farmers Through Digital Innovation and Sustainable Practices
Overview
Through this program, ACWICT is committed to creating a digitally empowered agricultural sector where small holder farmers, majority of whom are women, have the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to drive sustainable agricultural practices, improve food security, and enhance house-hold incomes for better livelihoods. The agriculture sector not only contributes significantly to Kenya’s GDP, it also supports over 70% of the rural population. It accounts for 65% of the country’s export earnings and provides a livelihood for more than 80% of Kenyans, ensuring food security and contributing to improved nutrition through the production of diverse and nutrient-dense foods.
An inclusive, digitally enabled agricultural transformation could help achieve meaningful livelihood improvements for Kenya’s smallholder farmers and pastoralists. Digital services for Agriculture could drive greater engagement in agriculture for women and youth, and support employment opportunities along the agricultural value chain, yet small holder farmers, majority of whom are women are being left behind because of persistent gender digital divide that is deeply rooted in socialization patterns and stereotypes.
The sector also faces numerous challenges, including gender inequalities in access and usage of internet, digital agricultural platforms, mobile phones and digital agricultural content and services. Lack of digital skills and knowledge of use of internet, high cost of internet, and poor cellular network coverage, are leading barriers to utilization of online digital content by small holder farmers.
ACWICT’s Digital Services for Agriculture work is dedicated to addressing these challenges by leveraging technology to address key challenges in the value chain, offering training and digital tools that empower small holder farmers and stakeholders to boost productivity and sustainability.
By integrating modern technology into agricultural practices, we aim to build a more digitally connected farming community capable of navigating the complexities of modern agriculture thereby support Kenya’s broader goals of economic development, poverty reduction, and social inclusion.
