This document discusses how mobile technology and ICT innovations can help support agriculture in East Africa. [1] Mobile phone access has grown significantly in the region but internet access remains low. [2] Agriculture is a major part of the economy in East Africa. [3] Mobile technologies provide platforms for communication, applications, and financial transactions that can help farmers through services like information on best practices, commodity prices, pest and disease tracking, and mobile money.

1. YOUTH CHAMPIONING ICT
INNOVATIONS IN AGRICULTURE IN
EAST AFRICA
By Claude K.MIGISHA , kLab General Manager
Kigali - Rwanda

2. CURRENT SITUATION
 A region of 130M people with an estimation of
1/100 with access to broadband internet and 1/3
with a mobile phone.
(mobile phone subscriptions in the region jumped from 3 million in 2002
to 64 million in 2010)
 Agriculture is the backbone for all the five countries
with the highest impact on their respective GDPs.
(32%, in Rwanda last year)

3. ICT TRENDS IN THE EAC
 Kenya : only 6 million people have good internet
access — and between 20 and 25 million have
SMS access.
 Rwanda: only 9 thousand people have access to
internet while between 5 and 5.5 million have SMS
access.
Touches her hair 37 times per day
Checks her phone 82 Times per day
It makes all sense to go SMS

4. THE POWER OF MOBILE
 A communications platform
 Voice / SMS
 Mobile Internet based communications
 Social networking
 An application Platform
 Mobile apps
 A trading platform
 Mobile money
 M-commerce

5. MOBILE TECHNOLOGY IN EAC
(K:67.2%, T:56%, U:38.4%)

6. MOBILE INNOVATIONS
 Innovative uses:
 m Agriculture
 mHealth
 mLearning
 mBanking & mTransactions / mMoney
 mGovernance

7. M-AGRICULTURE
Education and awareness SMS in support of good cultivation
practices, improved crop
varieties, weather, pest and disease
management. Also information to
agriculture extension workers
Commodity prices and market Market prices and preferences, which affects
information planting decisions, not just post-harvest
sales
Data collection Applications using mobile devices to collect
and/or access agriculture data
Pest and disease outbreak warning Send and receive data on disease incidence
and tracking and outbreaks

8. GRASSROOTS INNOVATIONS
 FarmerLine(Gh,Av.25): provides relevant
agricultural information directly to remote farmers
across the region in real time in the form of both
SMS text as well as voice messages (to ensure that
even those who cannot read can benefit). To help
farmers increase yields and profits as well as
improve the food security and nutrition situation.
 mFarm (Ken, Av:26): through SMS we give you up-
to date market information, link farmers to buyers
through our marketplace and current agri-trends.

9. GRASSROOTS INNOVATIONS (CONT.)
 The Grainy Bunch (TZ) is a national grain supply chain management
system that monitors the purchase, storage, distribution, and
consumption of grain across the entire nation. It was developed with the
understanding that selling “the effects of efficiency” to actors in the grain
supply chain is much easier than selling “the effects of climate change”.
 Osca Connect (RW, Av: 23) developed an App called Sarura that
enables farmers to input the type crop they wish to plant, then it cross-
checks meteorological data to determine if the crop is suitable given the
timing and location. Sarura improves farmer yields, saves them time, and
money
 Agro Universe (UG) allows farmers with agriculture products or
livestock to alert the app’s community so that they can buy and sell
goods from each other. It works on both mobile and the web. The aim of
Agro Universe is to create a regional marketplace where products can be
sold that may have no demand in the user’s immediate area but that
might in areas farther out.

10. WAY FORWARD
 Innovation & Incubation hubs: Research, development
and commercialization. Mentorship, skills, financing.
 Content : There is still a need of content, a relevant and
contextual one. The private sector and Startups to leverage
governments infrastructure. (Take advantage of Mob.
Phon. Subsc.).
 Illiteracy: Illiteracy is still high in the region, to be
considered while innovating (Data & Voice).
 Energy: Electricity is also a major challenge. Think of other
sources/types of energy.

11. MURAKOZE!!
Claude MIGISHA K.
mikaclau@klab.rw
Kigali – Rwanda
Africa