After experiencing one of the worst crop failures to draught, farmers in Kenya can now predict their crop yields, soil fertility, and expected crop diseases thanks to a new web-based application developed by students from Strathmore University.
The application, dubbed Mkulima Calculator (M-Calc), aims at equipping the farmers with simplified information by providing statistics and predictions which affect decision making.
“A farmer registers and gives information about their location and crops they are growing. Using data we have collected from KARI, we give the farmer a soil analysis, the chemicals they should use and in what amounts, and a prediction of how much they should expect to harvest,” Elisha Bwatuti, a co-founder of M-Calc, explained to Howwemadeitinafrica.com.
The system contains an automatic location detector that farmers can use to locate the nearest best priced farm equipment shops. Farmers are also provided with data on their crops of interest using statistics obtained from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) database, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), and also the meteorological department.
The company completed a pilot project in the Kenyan Coastal town of Mombasa where they provided farmers with data on five crops namely maize, beans, potato, rice and wheat. The next phase of the project will target 10,000 farmers from across the country.
According to Bwatuti, the main challenge faced by the group is transforming data into useful information that can be used by a farmer.
M-Calc aims at reaching 500,000 to 1 million farmers in their long term goal.
