SBS Wins a Grant Geared Towards Improving Agricultural Practices Among Subsistence Farmers in Rural Kenya

Strathmore University Business School through Dr. Simon Ndiritu and Dr. Bernadette Wanjala won a research grant titled; Leveraging remote sensing and ICT to facilitate yield maximization, structured trading, and inclusive value chain participation for smallholder staple grain farmers in Kenya.

This research grant was received in April 2020 with an expected project duration of 18 months. This project is a partnership between four institutions: AGRI-EPI Centre Limited (Lead organization), Harper Adams University, USOMI Limited, and Strathmore University. Dr. Simon Ndiritu will serve as the project lead from the Strathmore University side.

The main objective of the project is to promote economic development and welfare of smallholder millet growers in rural Kenya, by providing access to high-value markets, agricultural inputs, and know-how to meet market requirements.

This will be done by using precision technologies to improve agronomic practices, thus increasing productivity, income, and improved welfare.

The specific objectives of the project include:

• Develop tools for assessment of soil-root interactions and improved soil management, optimizing plant populations
• Provide data-driven guidelines to improve the nutrient use efficiency
• Maximize farm income and enhance millet production, processing and trade through transparent data-driven forward-pricing
• Refine USOMI’s model for aggregation, outreach, and structured trade
• Increase knowledge of millet products and management.

The target regions, Busia and Siaya, have among the highest poverty rates in Kenya: 66.7 percent and 35.3 percent respectively. Agriculture is the main commercial activity in these areas, mainly subsistence farming. This project provides an opportunity for smallholder farmers in these regions to grow beyond subsistence, providing additional income and enhanced food security.

The Master of Management in Agribusiness Programme

The world of agribusiness is shifting and its growth is increasingly demanding as the world’s population continues to grow in the technological age. There is a need to develop a workforce with new skills values and attitudes to enable organizations to increase productivity and deliver food and agribusiness products around the globe.

The Master of Management in Agribusiness Programme is designed to meet the growing need for agribusiness professionals with advanced conceptual, critical thinking, and quantitative training.

Learn more about the Master of Management in Agribusiness Programme

Article by Juliet Hinga

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