DIGITAL FARMING A GAME CHANGER

 A soil physics professor one day while explaining a concept in soil  provoked our thinking in awhy which left me convinced farming is the backbone of humanity , he argued  that while we may need a lawyer ,  doctor   once , we need a farmer   thrice everyday of our lives  for supper , lunch and breakfast . Come to think of it  chips, pizza , hamburger  they all exist because of a farmer   .  Oh yeah even the sweetest wine in this world  ,comes from grapes in the farm! Whats more!  armed with farming we can not only feed ourselves  but throw poverty and unemployment  into dustbins of history.

 Contemporary youths  have been driven  into laziness by technology  ,   everything is done at a click of a  button the situation has been further complicated by entry of  artificial intelligence  and drones which can be controlled at the comfort of  a bed! Traditionally farming remains a labourintensive exercisewhich  has made youths relegate it to  the villagers  and the uneducated .  Traditional farming has been further  faced with challenges of climate change , ever ballooning population   which attracts low yields  and low profits. This in turn  has scared most youths to venture into  agri- business. 

However God is gracious! technology  too has the answer  Digital farming – in involves  farming with  use of  mobile  application to manage farms and modern methods of farming  ,for a smaller space at high yields for less energy  . This is a panacea to our laziness in farming. Hydroponics farming  which is the growing of crops in water  hold the promise to  to transform  the agriculture  sector  and boost of our food security if fully implemented .  While  ventures such as  mushroom farming  remains one of the most lucrative , easy to start   farming activity  with   high  return  on investment  in just two months after  establishment, remains rarely exploited by youths.

According  to  official  statistics from National  Farmers  Information  System   (NAFIS)  Kenya produces  500 Tons of  mushrooms  per  a year  yet the demand  is  1200 tons , buyers have to meet  the demand by importation .Clearly their lies a lucrative agri-business   opportunity waiting to be exploited . it is noteworthy , that mushroom can  grow in many parts of Kenya  provided minimum  requirements such as   reliable water , stable temperature  and shelter  with a small space   of an eighth of an acre  the  venture  can be comfortably  establish with profits  .

Digital farming is a game changer in terms of youth involvement  in farming . Farming using mobile applications   such cropylaser , fertilizer calculator and more  enables  a farmer  to know  yields requirement , diagnose   diseases   and their remedies at a click of a button and the manage the whole at the comfort of our houses ! Every farming activity now has tailor-made mobile  app with such success in farming is now assured!Farming is a swag   let’s get farming !