Empowering Agriculture through the creation of Digital National Farmer Registries: South Africa, Mozambique and Bangladesh gain insight from the KIAMIS experience in Kenya
In the global pursuit of agricultural development, Kenya has emerged over the last years as a beacon of digital innovation with its groundbreaking Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS). ‘This integrated platform, now fully operational and utilized by the government of Kenya, is designed to boost agricultural management and data-driven decision making, through comprehensive farmer and farm registration processes’ says Stuart Tippins, Information Technology Officer from FAO that has been working on the platform since its launch.
Leveraging farmer contact information, KIAMIS allows value-added services such as targeted advisories, inputs management, credit management, and mechanization services to be integrated. Additionally, it offers decision-makers valuable insights into sector dynamics and production as well as, the effectiveness of subsidy programs, thereby enhancing transparency and optimizing the targeting of inputs to maximize benefits.
Inspired by Kenya's success story, Bangladesh's Ministry of Agriculture has now embarked on a transformative journey to get insights from KIAMIS. Under the auspices of the Program on Agricultural and Rural Transformation for Nutrition, Entrepreneurship, and Resilience (PARTNER), funded by the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Bangladesh is now actively seeking to leverage digital innovation for sustainable development in its agricultural sector.
At the forefront of Bangladesh's agricultural agenda lies the development of an efficient Farmer Registration and E-voucher system, identified as a key priority area during a scoping mission undertaken by FAO in December 2023 upon the government’s request and where the Organization could make significant contributions. Among the 10 Disbursement Linked Indicators (DLIs) identified as key priorities in agriculture sector by the Government of Bangladesh, DLI 5 specifically focuses on the expansion of digital service provision in agriculture through the Farmers (Krishak) Smart Card initiative, that plans to register 22.7 million farm households to develop the reliable database. Several initiatives have been launched, such as the distribution of the e-Card to those households, in order to pilot e-vouchers as e-subsidies, and to offer e-extension services.
Following on that, a delegation from Bangladesh undertook a mission to Kenya in April 2024. Representatives of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC), the Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh and PARTNER engaged in a comprehensive knowledge exchange facilitated by FAO Kenya to explore the way forward for potential tailored implementation in Bangladesh.
During their visit, the Bangladesh delegation had the opportunity to witness firsthand the positive impact of KIAMIS on Kenya's agricultural sector. Ms. Allon Mathlli, a farmer in Machakos County, Kenya, shared her journey, stating, "At the beginning, our family was food deficit. After doing the registration through KIAMIS, I have been receiving more and more support from the government and was able to increase my production and revenues. Now, the life of our family became much better."
Reflecting on their experience, Mr. Md Raquibuzzaman Khan, Deputy Programme Director & DLI-5 Lead, from the PARTNER programme, in the Ministry of Agriculture emphasized the practical relevance of the knowledge acquired, calling it a ‘valuable and practical experience regarding farmers profiling, e-voucher mechanism.’
As Bangladesh gears its efforts towards implementing innovative solutions for agricultural development, the lessons learned from Kenya's experience with KIAMIS can serve as a source of inspiration and guidance and FAO’s commitment to ‘fostering South-South Cooperation through its strong global network and accumulated experience’ was reiterated by Mr. Kenya Konno, FAO Programme Officer, that reaffirmed the Organization’s solid support to Bangladesh.
In addition to the visit from the Bangladeshi delegation, FAO Kenya has received similar high-level exchange visits by Mozambique and South Africa have also taken place to kickstart their development of National Agriculture Management information systems.
Through strategic partnerships and knowledge sharing initiatives, the journey towards sustainable agricultural growth and rural prosperity is set to continue, fostering a brighter future for farmers and communities alike.