Coffee farmers in Kenya to use text based crop warning system
Coffee farmers around Nairobi and in the Mount Kenya region will be able to receive text messages on their phone with storm warnings and early plague warnings starting in 2013. They will also be able to weigh their coffee digitally to get a more accurate price.
“Warning, heavy rain predicted, you are advised to bring your coffee harvest inside.” This is just one of the messages that farmers around Nairobi and Mount Kenya can receive on their phone in the near future via an early SMS warning system.
The warning system is part of a programme supported by IICD and the Dutch Progreso Foundation to improve service delivery of 3 coffee cooperatives to their members. In 2013, 1700 coffee farmers will be trained in using the text based (SMS) system. Some staff members of the cooperative are already using a database that keeps track of memberships, yields and payments. The IICD-Progreso project will build on this with broad ICT training, helping not just a few staff members, but also board members, factory staff and cooperative members to get full use of the available tools. This will make the cooperative more transparent and serviceable to their members, and will make sure data is stored quickly, accurately and safely, training the coops in practical skills like data-management and back-up.
In total, 7510 coffee farmers will benefit once the programme is fully running.