Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project
Sub-Saharan Africa is often presented as the continent most vulnerable to climatic change with major repercussions for food systems. Coupled with high rates of population growth and existing nutritional deficiencies, the need to enhance food production across the continent is thus seen as a major gl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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UCL Press
2023-12-01
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| Series: | UCL Open Environment |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ucloe/article/id/1986/ |
| _version_ | 1797270129460903936 |
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| author | Andrew Yano Jaqueline McGlade Jerome Lewis Marcos Moreu Matthew Davies Megan Laws Muki Haklay Samuel Lunn-Rockliffe Timothy Kiprutto Wilson Kipkorir |
| author_facet | Andrew Yano Jaqueline McGlade Jerome Lewis Marcos Moreu Matthew Davies Megan Laws Muki Haklay Samuel Lunn-Rockliffe Timothy Kiprutto Wilson Kipkorir |
| author_sort | Andrew Yano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sub-Saharan Africa is often presented as the continent most vulnerable to climatic change with major repercussions for food systems. Coupled with high rates of population growth and existing nutritional deficiencies, the need to enhance food production across the continent is thus seen as a major global imperative. We argue here, however, that current models of agricultural development in Eastern Africa often marginalise critical small-holder knowledge from the process of future agricultural design due to a lack of a methodological tools for engagement. This paper addresses this by outlining a potential means to capture and share locally produced agronomic information on a large scale. We report on a ‘Citizen Science’ pilot study that worked with smallholder farmers in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, western Kenya, to co-design a mobile application using the well-developed
Sapelli platform that easily allows farmers to identify, record and geolocate cropping patterns and challenges at multiple stages in the agricultural calendar using their own understandings. The pilot project demonstrated the technical and epistemological benefits of co-design, the abilities of smallholder farmers to co-design and use smartphone applications, and the potential for such technology to produce and share valuable agricultural and ecological knowledge in real time. Proof-of-concept data illustrates opportunities to spatially and temporally track and respond to challenges related to climate, crop disease and pests. Such work expounds how smallholder farmers are a source of largely untapped ecological and agronomic expert knowledge that can, and should, be harnessed to address issues of future agricultural resilience and food system sustainability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:59:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-321017f865614cc18d7642461d7c1b3d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2632-0886 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:59:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | UCL Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | UCL Open Environment |
| spelling | doaj.art-321017f865614cc18d7642461d7c1b3d2024-03-07T15:23:20ZengUCL PressUCL Open Environment2632-08862023-12-015110.14324/111.444/ucloe.000065Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot projectAndrew Yano0Jaqueline McGlade1Jerome Lewis2Marcos Moreu3Matthew Davies4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9740-0622Megan Laws5Muki Haklay6Samuel Lunn-Rockliffe7Timothy Kiprutto8Wilson Kipkorir9Prosperity Co-Lab KenyaInstitute for Global Prosperity, University College LondonDepartment of Anthropology, University College LondonDepartment of Geography, University College LondonMcDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge and Institute for Global Prosperity, University College LondonDepartment of Anthropology, London School of EconomicsDepartment of Geography, University College LondonIndependent ResearcherProsperity Co-Lab Kenya and British Institute in Eastern AfricaSchool of Natural Resource Management, Department of Forestry and Wood Science, University of EldoretSub-Saharan Africa is often presented as the continent most vulnerable to climatic change with major repercussions for food systems. Coupled with high rates of population growth and existing nutritional deficiencies, the need to enhance food production across the continent is thus seen as a major global imperative. We argue here, however, that current models of agricultural development in Eastern Africa often marginalise critical small-holder knowledge from the process of future agricultural design due to a lack of a methodological tools for engagement. This paper addresses this by outlining a potential means to capture and share locally produced agronomic information on a large scale. We report on a ‘Citizen Science’ pilot study that worked with smallholder farmers in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, western Kenya, to co-design a mobile application using the well-developed Sapelli platform that easily allows farmers to identify, record and geolocate cropping patterns and challenges at multiple stages in the agricultural calendar using their own understandings. The pilot project demonstrated the technical and epistemological benefits of co-design, the abilities of smallholder farmers to co-design and use smartphone applications, and the potential for such technology to produce and share valuable agricultural and ecological knowledge in real time. Proof-of-concept data illustrates opportunities to spatially and temporally track and respond to challenges related to climate, crop disease and pests. Such work expounds how smallholder farmers are a source of largely untapped ecological and agronomic expert knowledge that can, and should, be harnessed to address issues of future agricultural resilience and food system sustainability.https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ucloe/article/id/1986/smartphoneSustainabilityAgriculture and the environmentco-designAfricaPeople and their environment |
| spellingShingle | Andrew Yano Jaqueline McGlade Jerome Lewis Marcos Moreu Matthew Davies Megan Laws Muki Haklay Samuel Lunn-Rockliffe Timothy Kiprutto Wilson Kipkorir Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project UCL Open Environment smartphone Sustainability Agriculture and the environment co-design Africa People and their environment |
| title | Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project |
| title_full | Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project |
| title_fullStr | Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project |
| title_full_unstemmed | Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project |
| title_short | Supporting the capacities and knowledge of small-holder farmers in Kenya for sustainable agricultural futures: A Citizen Science pilot project |
| title_sort | supporting the capacities and knowledge of small holder farmers in kenya for sustainable agricultural futures a citizen science pilot project |
| topic | smartphone Sustainability Agriculture and the environment co-design Africa People and their environment |
| url | https://journals.uclpress.co.uk/ucloe/article/id/1986/ |
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