SoilCares Foundation introduces the Scanner to young entrepreneurs in Njoro, Kenya
New project
SoilCares Foundation is involved in a new project – the AgriServices Project. The objective of the project is to develop farmer-desired agri-services that are offered to farmers by young entrepreneurs. The projects is based on a human-centered design (HCD) approach to research the needs and desires of rural farmers, and translating these insights into valuable agri-(e-) services that can be delivered by youth entrepreneurs, leading to improved agri-productivity, farmers income and job creation for youth. The project aims to hit three birds with one stone: increased food security, farmers’ income growth, and job creation for youth.
A multi-disciplinary team of experts
The market-oriented and human-centered approach will be conducted by a multi-disciplinary team of HCD & business modelling experts (ProPortion), rural youth (Vijana Reloaded), soil testing technology (SoilCares), expertise in available e-farming services & farmer groups (SNV) and Digital marketing expertise (360 Degrees International). The project is located in Kenya and will engage with at least 30 farmers, 6 farmer groups, 4 farmer field shops, 6 Agriculture Development agents, vets, 6 NGOs, 6 agri-technology suppliers, 6 e-farming service providers, 3 suppliers of seeds and inputs, 3 wholesale buyers of commodities, relevant ministries at county and national level. The AgriServices project is funded by the Rabobank Medewerkersfonds.
First project meeting
ProPortion Foundation organized the first introductory meeting with farmers from Njoro and Molo. During the meeting SoilCares presented soil testing with SoilCares Scanner and the benefits it can bring to farmers.
The aim of the meeting was to enlighten farmers on the importance of soil testing, to demonstrate to them how the Scanner works and to interpret the analysis results. Some of the farmers confessed that they knew about soil testing but they were not testing their soil due to inaccessibility of the services. ‘We need fare to deliver samples to Njoro (research lab) but the samples stay there for a whole year and hence we cannot implement the recommendations,’ they said. They appreciated what they saw and learnt during the meeting/training and they look forward to making use of our soil testing services.
Some photos from the meeting are shown below.
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