Farmers will be able to predict weather more accurately and in real-time within 4km radius using a new app.
Yara Farm weather app will also enable farmers and other users to save and access weather information of up to four different locations within the country.
Speaking during the launch in Embu, the app designer, Fridah Oyaro, said users can share information gathered from the app with other users on different mobile phone messaging platforms even if they don't have access to the internet or smartphones.
Yara East Africa country manager William Ng’eno told eight-county executive members from Kiambu, Nyandarua, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi that soil testing is the key to unlocking the country’s food security potential.
The forum was convened to brief the ministers of the company’s new initiative to work with counties on smallholder farmer empowerment on effective fertiliser use for improved crop quality and yields.
“Fertiliser usage in Africa is low, with the average use in Kenya standing at 30kg per hectare, compared to the world average of 150kg and Yara’s approach is based on understanding farmers' needs and offering cost-effective solutions that not only increase yield significantly but are also friendly to the environment,” Ng’eno said.
The CECs welcomed the app, saying it was a timely intervention..
“Proliferation of smart forms means that every farmer can have access to the Farmweather App that gives them info on the weather so that they can make timely decisions,” Murang’a CEC Albert Mwaniki said.
Ng’eno asked for more partnership with the county governments through the Ministry of Agriculture, farmers and research firms.
He said Yara relies on county executives’ knowledge of their counties to tailor-make fertiliser solutions and other technologies that will benefit farmers.
