The Sarit Expo Center in Nairobi, Kenya, teemed with hundreds of stakeholders from the agriculture sector, as they converged for the seventh Africa Agri Expo February 19-20, 2024.
Visitors flocked to the International Fertilizer Development Center’s (IFDC) exhibition booth, seeking to understand more about the organization’s work in soil health, market systems development, and smallholder productivity improvement.
“The agriculture sector plays a key role in Kenya’s economy, as it contributes 33% directly and 27% indirectly to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). I call upon all of us to participate and collaborate for the attainment of food security and nutrition.”
Badu Katelo, Senior Deputy Secretary of the Department of Agriculture
IFDC Kenya Country Director Bridget Okumu contributed to vital discussions, saying, “African agribusiness has the potential to leapfrog traditional barriers and connect farmers to markets efficiently if technology and innovation are embraced. Value addition is also critical – by investing in processing facilities, we create jobs, enhance product quality, and boost exports.”
She added that IFDC’s solutions to address food insecurity around the world focus on improving nutrient use efficiency and soil health, transferring the improved technologies to smallholder farmers, and linking the farmers to efficient and profitable markets so they can improve their livelihoods.
A series of panel discussions and presentations was held during plenary sessions to share learning and insights from the industry, covering such topics as soil health, agricultural financing, agri-mechanization, precision agriculture technology, agricultural industrialization, and future-proofing farming systems.
Speaking in a panel on the topic of improving the resilience of African soil, Dr. Mercy Ngunjiri, IFDC Research Scientist and Geographic Information System Specialist, noted, “At IFDC, we are ensuring that farmers get access to relevant technologies so that it is easier for them to adopt better soil management practices. To ensure that as many smallholders as possible access research information, we work with farmer business schools and clusters. This improves the uptake of good agricultural practices, which ensures that no one is left behind.”
The Africa Agri Expo, hosted by TAB Group and held under the patronage of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in Kenya, demonstrated the immense potential within agribusinesses across Africa through informative speakers and events during its seventh edition of the program.
