I first learnt about the agricultural app iCow from Farmer’s Weekly columnist Peter Hughes, who told me that it was making waves in Africa, empowering small-scale farmers and increasing production and profitability. Cow was launched in Kenya in 2011. A smartphone is not required and registration is simple – dial *285# and follow the instructions.
Tips for the subscriber are available on cows, broilers, layers and indigenous chickens. Once you have subscribed, you will receive three SMS tips per week at a cost of 3Ksh (Kenyan shilling) per SMS, which at the current rate equates to 39c.
Once a cow is registered on the system, the owner is notified when to stop milking the cow at the end of lactation, when to check whether the cow has conceived, and more.
As one farmer puts it: “iCow tells me when to give my cow maternity leave.”
Increased efficiency
Other agricultural stakeholders have also become involved by delivering information to farmers using iCow and employing the feedback to help farmers evaluate their projects.Research has shown that, on average, a small-scale farmer has three cows each, providing approximately 6l/ day – well below average. After seven months on iCow, farmers were producing 2l to 3l more per cow per day. This equates to having another cow without having to invest in housing and feeding.
Farmers’ education
“We have the population and we need to increase the farming population and drive food prices down,” says agriculturalist Su Kahumbu, who created the app. “There are a lot of initiatives taking place trying to make this happen, like GMOs, drought-resistant seeds and so forth, but the key factor which is missing is the farmer himself, and education is paramount.”
Watch a video on the iCow, organic agriculture and food security. For a talk given by Kahumbu, click here.
Sources: www.forbes.com; www.icow.co.ke.
