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Data protection is poor for African farmers who use digital services: Kenya and Ghana cases highlight gaps

Data protection is poor for African farmers who use digital services: Kenya and Ghana cases highlight gaps

ACROSS Africa, agricultural producers are turning to digital solutions to get information about farming methods, market access or financial services. By 2022, there were 666 of these solutions operating on the continent, the highest number among all low- and medium-income regions. Advances in digital devices, such as smartphones, sensors and satellites, connected through the internet and combined with big data analytics, enable solution providers to collect and analyse large amounts of farm data. This is data related to the farmer, the farming site, operations and commercial transactions. This has raised the possibility that service providers or other third parties could…
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Farmfluencers: Social media boost for farmers

Farmfluencers: Social media boost for farmers

BIRD STORY AGENCY FRANCIS Muiruri, a 31-year-old Kenyan farmer, has found a new income stream on social media; selling information. As a digital consultant, he advises other farmers on successful service delivery on the farm. "I have been practising pig farming for 10 years and poultry farming for close to three years. I engage with current and potential farmers on Facebook and YouTube, and about three months ago, I joined Tik Tok. I have got a lot of exposure there," he explained. Despite living with a disability, the Thika-based, mixed-crop farmer appreciates the platform's role in commercializing his farming business.…
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Kenyan insurer Pula offers lifeline to African farmers hit by climate change

Kenyan insurer Pula offers lifeline to African farmers hit by climate change

EDWIN WAITA WHEN Kenyan farmer Waki Munyalo's crop of lentils shrank by three quarters last year because of unusually low rainfall, disaster was averted thanks to a simple remedy that was previously unavailable to most African farmers - insurance. Munyalo, a 38-year-old mother-of-three, had taken out an insurance policy with Kenyan start-up Pula, which aims to reach a vast, untapped pool of African farmers grappling with new disruptions linked to climate change. Munyalo made a claim on her Pula policy and received a compensation payment of 12,000 Kenyan shillings ($110), close to what she would have earned if her crop…
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