Advancing Kenyan Avocado Farming: Blockchain and AI Solutions Revolutionize the Industry
Summary:
The article discusses a partnership between One Million Avocados (OMA) and blockchain-based agricultural tech firm, Dimitra, which focuses on empowering Kenyan avocado farmers through advanced technology. With Kenya being the fourth-largest and Africa's biggest avocado producer, only 23% make it to the export market due to various challenges faced by small-scale farmers. The companies are digitizing 10,000 avocado trees into nonfungible tokens (NFTs) for transparency and opportunity, while improving management, and introducing advanced machine learning tools to lower farming issues. The initiative encourages the broader adoption of blockchain technology within agriculture.
Kenya holds a significant role in the avocado sector, not only as a beloved ingredient in local cuisine but also as a major contributor to the country's export revenue. Rankings place the nation as the fourth most prolific avocado producer globally and the leading producer in Africa, a position attributed to the country's climate that allows for year-round production. However, One Million Avocados (OMA) reveals that merely 23% of Kenya's avocado yield makes it to the international markets.
Small-scale farmers comprise the majority of avocado cultivators in the country, but they are often detached from a comprehensive network or state-of-the-art agricultural tech, as Statista suggests. Strict export regulations and typical farming challenges like diseases and pests often deter these farmers and undermine the quality of their yield.
In an attempt to overcome these daunting obstacles, the integration of advanced tech, including AI, data analytics, and blockchain technology, has arisen as a potential solution, aimed at supporting Kenyan avocado farmers. This is a central objective in the collaboration between OMA and Dimitra, a blockchain-centric agricultural tech firm promoting productive, intelligent, and inclusive farming practices. Through this partnership, Dimitra has provided local avocado farmers with pivotal technology, including AI and blockchain.
Dimitra’s proprietary cryptocurrency, $DMTR, provides farmers access to vital AI tools for agricultural processes. More so, the collaborative initiative has marked Dimitra’s inaugural venture into real-world asset tokenization, a strategy aimed at digitizing tangible assets onto a blockchain. To assist Kenyan farmers in streamlining avocado production, Dimitra and OMA have digitized 10,000 Kenyan avocado trees into nonfungible tokens (NFTs), promoting transparency and opportunity.
Each NFT gives farmers an avocado tree, complete with comprehensive data such as the tree’s GPS coordinates, farm score, development history, and a photo. Besides securing an avocado seedling, farmers acquire cutting-edge tech solutions with the NFT, including AI-powered reports, soil sensors, satellite imagery, and fertilizers.
A crucial aspect of the OMA-Dimitra cooperation involves introducing Kenyan avocado farmers to Connected Farmer—is a Web3 platform that aims to facilitate access to pivotal technology for smaller-scale farmers. Through the Connected Farmer platform, farmers are empowered to leverage advanced data science methods and machine learning to track pest and disease issues in real time and devise effective solutions.
"Dimitra is committed to helping smallholder farmers using AI, IoT, and blockchain," said Dimitra, emphasizing that their vision extends beyond the financial sector. With local partnerships, blockchain, and AgTech, sustainable practices and business models for smaller farmers are within reach. Community-driven initiatives like Dimitra, showcasing the applicability of blockchain in agriculture, encourage further adoption of this innovative technology.
Published At
5/30/2024 8:00:00 PM
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