Farmer with cellWhilst feeding my lightie early this morning in front of the TV, I was fortunate enough to catch the tail end of a story that showed how technology can be truly empowering. Unfortunately I was unable to find the article on the BBC World News site, but I will do my best to paraphrase…
The insert explained how Kenyan farmers are struggling to make ends meet because they rely on “produce brokers” to sell their products at produce markets. These produce brokers buy produce at the farm gate, for a pittance, and resell it at the city markets for a massive profit.

The farmers are left scraping through on miniscule profits, unable to capitalise on fertile lands and successful crops due to transport constraints and the subsequent dependance on brokers.
Enter the cellphone. A few farmers clubbed together to purchase a cell phone and some air time, and are now keeping brokers in check because they are able to source pricing direct from city markets. In fact, I may be lying, but I think the insert stated that their profits are up 40%, which results in better productivity, more crops, and the rest is history.
Word is spreading fast, and the farming community is being empowered.
Check out this article for more on technology in Africa…

TomorrowToday Global