NMG, Africa Limited, hold Africa Exhibition Show in Nairobi
The Agricultural sector has a raft of opportunities that could be a game changer in creating job opportunities if tapped.
However, these opportunities remain unlocked due to scattered information thus derailing the sector which is cited as the backbone of the Kenyan economy.
In an interview with Nairobi News, Tito Mutai the CEO Agri – Africa Exhibitions Ltd said actors in the food production value chain need to unlock the opportunities by creating platforms enabling ease dissemination of information to farmers.
Argi – Africa Company deals with information services in agriculture, by identifying the opportunities and passing them to farmers.
There is a vast range of technologies and innovations which can revamp agriculture and become a game changer to the country’s economy, Mr Mutai stated.
“Information in the agricultural sector is scattered, hence the need to create platforms for farmers to gather and collect ideas from,” he said.
He cited agricultural shows, expos, exhibitions and conferences as some of the most vital platforms for farmers to learn new technologies and innovations to spur farming activities.
In partnership with the Nation Media Group, Agri – Africa Ltd recently organized an agricultural show at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi.
The event, graced by nearly 170 local and international exhibitors, was attended by thousands of visitors, most being farmers.
Various technologies, innovations, irrigation systems, farm tools, equipment including use of drones, climate change solutions, value addition techniques on agricultural produce, among others were demonstrated.
“Providing a central database solution for agriculture through farm shows is key to spurring the growth of the sector,” Mr Mutai insisted.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Kenya is among the countries hard hit by the devastating effects of climate change in the Sub Saharan Region, Horn of Africa.
The situation can be reversed, Mutai is confident.
“There is a raft of climate change solutions which can be disseminated to farmers through agricultural shows.”
They include reforestation techniques, growing trees such as bamboo, adopting drought tolerant crops which are early maturing and high yielding, the Agri – Africa Ltd boss said, observing that such kinds of varieties have not fully reached farmers and the shows are the best platforms for sensitization.
In future, the company is looking to do satellite events at county level bearing in mind agriculture is a devolved function.
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