Ministry of Agriculture courts technology to stem shortage of extension services

By HARRISON AGUNDO

The Ministry of Agriculture has launched a Sh50 million electronic extension service to address the chronic shortage of extension officers.

The move is aimed at enticing the youth to agriculture at a time when only about 10 per cent of young people practise agriculture. But over 80 per cent own either a mobile phone or a laptop.

Extension officers have traditionally been hailed for giving farmers personalised advice on the best farming methods, the best crop for a particular climate, soil and market information.

Inadequate funds

 However, the high cost of running extension and advisory services due to high numbers of people taking up farming has seen extension officers being severely stretched — one officer can serve up to 1,000 farmers.

“Things have taken a complete turn for the worst. In the ‘80s and early ‘90s, I knew I could find agricultural extension officers on Wednesdays and Fridays,” says Berreta Kiuma, a horticulture farmer from Kandara.

 “They would follow how my crops were faring, advise me on the best ways to weed, till and harvest and then give me a lengthy talk on generally managing my farm. It took two hours. But I no longer see this.” 

Berreta now says the important educational role has been left to private companies who organise field days meant to create awareness on various agricultural practices.

“For them it is about selling their products, so they tailor the messages to convince us that only their products can address our needs,” she says.

“I don’t think that is the kind of information we need,” says the 60-year-old farmer who laments that the productivity of her land and her yields have dropped by up to 50 per cent.

E-tool

“With changes in weather and new diseases that have come with it, I have had no one to guide me on how to cope, especially because I deal with horticulture, which is a sensitive type of farming,” she says.

The government, aware of farmers’ dilemma, and inadequate resources to recruit any more officers — has embraced technology, with the few extension officers now being equipped with laptops and smart phones.

The State has already acquired 624 extension kits with which farmers will get information either through voice calls, text messaging, the Internet or digital libraries. The ambitious project hopes to reach some 1.5 million farmers by year-end.

The extension officers will also set up desks at local markets on the sale days to interact more with farmers.

“Application of e-extension has the potential to increase farmers’ productivity, majority of whom are small scale, through improved delivery of services,” said the Ministry of Agriculture.

“We are counting on county governments to help us implement this programme.”

The ministry plans to equip 1,450 information desks in every ward with the kit, train 3,000 extension staff on information sourcing from the e-extension and another 720,000 on how to access the information.

The ministry also seeks to equip its 4,700 Frontline Extension Workers with the mobile kits to maintain communication with farmers across the country.

“Application of e-extension will take advantage of recent advances in telecommunications and information technology,” adds the officer.

“Households owning a computer or mobile phone stand at 3.6 per cent and 63.2 per cent respectively according to the recent National Population and Housing Census report.”

Mobile phone apps

The project aims to woo the youth with a huge attachment for technology but a disconnect with agriculture, which they treat as an old man’s job.

The government hopes to incorporate the growing number of agriculture-related mobile phone apps and technologies like M-Farm and I-Cow to entice young people.

 “If you can show the youth a hip app that estimates livestock feed, or tell them about a superior cow like Fleckview and show them how they can track its ovulation through a unique phone app, you have already won their attention,” says Alphonse Kimachia, an extension officer from Kabete in Nairobi. ­             

- FarmBizAfrica