Net shows the young in Kenya a way to boost agriculture

NAIROBI－Holding a smartphone in his left hand, Antony Ngunjiri taps on the gadget's screen with his right index finger.

One may think that the 28-year-old is whiling away time as many other young Kenyans do.

Ngunjiri is, however, engaging a farmer on his social media account which he uses to disseminate agroinformation, get clients and market farm produce for farmers at a fee.

A graduate in agricultural production, he is among a growing number of young people in the East African nation who have turned to online agribusinesses.

The young people, who have no access to capital or land, have created jobs in online agribusiness.

"With internet technology, you don't need to dirty your hands for you to earn from the soil. You can fill information and marketing gaps as long as you have the knowledge and skills," said Ngunjiri in an interview on Thursday.

Apart from engaging farmers on social media, the young entrepreneurs are running websites where farmers can also sell produce.

Joseph Macharia, who runs Mkulima Young, a social enterprise farmers' site, said there are great opportunities in online agribusiness for young people who don't want to get their hands dirty.

Macharia's website offers farmers across Africa a marketing platform as well as disseminates information.

"There are entrepreneurial online opportunities across the agriculture value chain. All one needs to do is identify what they want to do and treat agriculture as a serious business.

"Running an online platform for farmers requires passion for farming, a willingness to self-fund its development and an understanding of how social media works," said Macharia, who has been running the site for the past five years.

Brian Mwangi, a web developer in Nairobi, said the number of those seeking to start websites is on the rise, with agriculture, sports, food and travel being among the leading categories.

"Currently, I am making an agricultural blog for two young farmers. This is the third I am working on in four months," said Mwangi, who charges 7,000 shillings (about $70) for the job.

He noted most of the websites he makes feature marketing and information sections.

It costs between $10 and $20 to host a website per year, charges that are affordable to many Kenyans.

Internet costs have also declined considerably in the east African nation, enabling many people to stay longer online, For those running farmers' sites, uploading content online is done without feeling the pinch.

Bernard Mwaso of Edell IT Solution said that it has become easier to monetize online sites because of increased internet usage in Kenya.

He pointed out that video blogging－vlogging－is another area where some Kenyan youth interested in agribusiness are exploring.

"While a majority are making websites, vlogging, which involves making short educative video clips, remains untapped. Farming is an area where how-to videos are very popular and one can make money out of it," he said.

XINHUA