Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture - CTA Publishing
Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture - CTA Publishing
Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture - CTA Publishing
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savvy entrepreneur opted for a high-tech solution,<br />
turn<strong>in</strong>g to 411 Get it, a jo<strong>in</strong>t ven ture<br />
be tween Sa faricom <strong>and</strong> the Kenya Agri cultural<br />
Commodity Exchange (KACE). Us<strong>in</strong>g his mobile<br />
phone to access up-to-date commodity prices,<br />
Kamau identified a favourable market.<br />
Driv<strong>in</strong>g the local economy<br />
But Kamau’s farm<strong>in</strong>g success was only the beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g<br />
– not just for him, but for the entire rural<br />
community. He <strong>in</strong>vested <strong>in</strong> M-Kesho, an electronic<br />
sav<strong>in</strong>gs account which also offers short-term<br />
loans to farmers. Other villagers started to open<br />
M-Kesho accounts with the proceeds of crop<br />
sales, us<strong>in</strong>g Kamau’s kiosk to make the transactions.<br />
Kamau’s one-stop e-bank<strong>in</strong>g kiosk has simplified<br />
money access, <strong>in</strong>creas<strong>in</strong>g the amount of<br />
cash available to be spent <strong>in</strong> the local economy.<br />
Producers no longer need to travel to towns, so<br />
are more likely to spend their money closer to<br />
home. Farm owners <strong>in</strong> the nearby town of Nakuru<br />
no longer have to commute to Kamau’s village<br />
to pay their casual labourers, us<strong>in</strong>g the young<br />
bus<strong>in</strong>essman’s M-Pesa kiosk <strong>in</strong>stead. Agro-vet<br />
<strong>and</strong> other traders use M-Pesa to pay their suppliers<br />
<strong>and</strong> spend the cash saved on transport<br />
costs buy<strong>in</strong>g local stock <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong>puts. The entire<br />
local economy has benefited as a result.<br />
Like any good entrepreneur, Kamau has a knack<br />
for spott<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess opportunities, so when he<br />
saw that his operat<strong>in</strong>g capital was decl<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />
the plant<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> weed<strong>in</strong>g season, he decided<br />
to diversify. Tak<strong>in</strong>g out a soft loan, he bought a<br />
motorcycle, an ideal mode of transport for the<br />
poor local roads, <strong>and</strong> as he was soon to f<strong>in</strong>d<br />
out, an excellent way of mak<strong>in</strong>g extra <strong>in</strong>come.<br />
Team<strong>in</strong>g up with a partner, the young Kenyan<br />
launched a taxi service, a thriv<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong><br />
rural Kenya <strong>and</strong> one ma<strong>in</strong>ly dom<strong>in</strong>ated by youth.<br />
Banker, farmer, taxi operator – Kamau has spread<br />
his bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>terests over a wide range of sectors.<br />
But the common denom<strong>in</strong>ator is <strong>ICT</strong>s. He<br />
would never be where he is now if he had not<br />
made them work for him.<br />
Based on the orig<strong>in</strong>al essay:<br />
“Impacts of <strong>ICT</strong> on livelihoods: Experiences of a<br />
Kenyan rural youth.” by Chris Mwangi.<br />
Key references<br />
Haas, S., Plyler, M.G. & Nagarajan, G. (2010) Outreach<br />
of M-PESA System <strong>in</strong> Kenya: <strong>Emerg<strong>in</strong>g</strong> Trends<br />
F<strong>in</strong>ancial assessment, F<strong>in</strong>ancial Service Assessment<br />
Project.<br />
Shap<strong>in</strong>g the future of ACP rural development us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>ICT</strong>s... 45 |