RATIN

Farmer information system to transform agri-food systems

Posted on November, 24, 2021 at 09:47 am


Information and digitization of agricultural service delivery are critical enablers of a robust food system. Accurate information about farmers and their enterprises in Kenya for instance can be a great asset in the decision-making process.

The existence of such a database of registered farmers linked to service providers will not only strengthen service delivery through provision of an array of services but also make farming attractive especially to the youth.

The government acknowledges that agriculture is the backbone of our economy.Over the years government has supported farmers in their crops, livestock and aquaculture enterprises to enhance production for home consumption and income generation.

These efforts have however been undermined by middlemen keen on exploiting farmers and swindling the government. Use of third parties and manual processes to supply fertilizers and other farm inputs, has in the past been riddled with corruption.

Digitization of these processes offers a foolproof system that allows for audit as it leaves an online footprint that enhances transparency.

For a longtime, farmers have suffered in the hands of cartels. Brokers strategically positioned at planting time when farm inputs are on high demand and at harvest time when farmers are in dire need for a good market for their produce. This will soon be a thing of the past as the government moves to enhance registration of farmers through the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS).

KIAMIS; developed through a partnership between Government and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is a digital platform solution that improves efficiency of service delivery to farmers.

The system provides important data and information for decision-makers to enhance food and nutrition security. The system utilizes a central digital farmer registry to provide additional services, such as inputs management, e-Extension content delivery, credit management and mechanization services.

KIAMIS enhances transparency and Government oversight of inputs support programs in the agricultural sector. Transparency is increased by virtual real-time reconciliation and monitoring provided by the system.

Decision-makers have a better understanding of inputs consumption patterns through automated capturing of farmers’ purchases at selected agro-dealer outlets. Furthermore, it improves targeting of beneficiaries and reduction of ghost farmers, thereby enhancing the impact of the inputs. At the same timeKIAMIS will provide decision makers with information on production, yield, and effectiveness of subsidy programs.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, in collaboration with the Council of Governors (CoG) and with support from FAO has successfully piloted this system in UasinGishu and Nyandarua counties.

The system currently supports farmer registration and e-vouchers that enable farmers get subsidized farm inputs through a smooth and speedy process. The results from the pilot have confirmed the versatility of this system in solving many challenges faced by farmers while accessing services and goods they require.

Although still at piloting stage the selected farmers were able to seamlessly get subsidized farm inputs from participating Agrovets. For a selected package the farmers paid 60% while the government paid 40%.

Kenya is not the first country in Africa to establish this system.  A similar system is fully functional in Zambia. The Zambia Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (ZIAMIS). This was also developed with the support of FAO, and has enabled the Zambian government to save millions that accrued from losses directly attributable to cartels stationed along various value chains nodes. The result has been motivated farmers, thriving crop and livestock production, and impactful government subsidies.

Digitization of government operations has been shown to benefit the citizenry by increasing efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. H.E President Uhuru Kenyatta during the Mashujaa day celebrations noted how digitization of land records in Kenya is transforming land ownership with benefits spreading over to other sectors. He summed it up by saying that the future in efficient and effective government service delivery is in the integration of Information and Communication technology.

FAO through its Land Governance Programme has been a major player in the digitization of land records and is extending this to digitization of the registration of farmers and service delivery in the agricultural sector.

Source: KBC