Workshop, Saturday 7th of September 2019, British Institute in Eastern Africa
Our understanding of prosperity is changing. For decades prosperity has been associated with economic development through industrialisation, and GDP oriented economic growth has been seen as the only way to improve standards of living. Environmental degradation, pressure on resources and the persistence of widespread poverty have demonstrated not only the shortcomings of this vision, but have also made it evident that it is fundamentally unsustainable, and cannot deliver wellbeing and long-term opportunities for citizens and communities across the globe.
Looking ahead to the challenges Africa faces, notably climate change, urbanisation and the future of work, it is clear a new vision encompassing natural prosperity will be needed to create communities that are sustainable, autonomous and resilient. While Kenya embodies many of the challenges faced across sub-Saharan Africa, we also see it as a hub of innovation and inspiration that is fostering African solutions to global problems. During the event we will be diving into the Big Four Agenda, Agriculture and Food by looking at among other things:
How can data be used to innovate agriculture and improve the prosperity of small-scale farmers?
We will ask what kind of data are needed to improve the value chain? How can we use space data to improve agriculture?
Moving from the farmer to the trader and wholesaler to the consumer – how do you think data can help in handling potatoes/maize/tomatoes improve the value chain?
There will be examples of digital platforms that are helping farmers in Vihiga, Makueni and Marakwet improve crop production.