Google has announced a Sh100 million grant to train more than 100,000 Kenyan smallholder farmers on digital skills. The announcement was made at the first Google for Kenya event held in Nairobi, where the company outlined its long-term strategy and commitment to contribute to the country’s economic and social growth.
To help farmers increase their yields and productivity, Google is partnering with One Acre Fund, a non-profit organization headquartered in Kakamega, to provide training as well as products and services to smallholder farmers aimed at digitising their agribusiness operations and tasks. Farmers in low-income and rural parts of the country will benefit from the grant and training taking effect over the next one year.
“In Kenya, the agriculture sector employs over 40% of the total population, contributing to 30% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). We want to see the power of technology elevate small-scale farming. We hope that through this initiative, we will see a positive impact in food security, job creation and GDP growth in Kenya” Charles Murito, Country Manager for Google Kenya said.
For smallholder farmers, technology is often the game changer that enables efficiency and increased productivity from agricultural output.
“At One Acre Fund, we’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with Google in the service of smallholder farmers in Kenya. With greater access to technology and training, farmers can make their land more productive. We’re excited to scale our digital innovations in rural areas and expand our life-improving services for thousands of hard-working farmers,” said Matthew Forti, Managing Director, One Acre Fund.
