Cloud Computing and Other ICT advancements Use in Kenya’s Agricultural Sector

Abstract

According to the latest World Economic Forum study agriculture provides a living for over 70 of Kenya s people As a result agriculture is a crucial sector in Kenya Agricultural productivity is still low and food poverty remains a problem This has resulted in a number of projects in recent years to use ICT advancements to boost agricultural output Cloud computing is one of the advancement that can be used by organizations that still have the traditional on premise IT systems Agriculture is one of the most important areas that has shaped the socioeconomic growth of most countries Over time the benefits of widespread adoption and usage of information and communication technologies in agriculture have included improved agricultural productivity and linkages to remunerative markets food security and national economies among other things E-agriculture is a branch of activity that involves the use of information and communication tools and technology to boost agricultural productivity and make information pertinent to agricultural research planning extension production monitoring marketing and trade available The goal of this desktop review research is to look into how ICT advancements have been used in Kenya s agriculture sector Cloud computing as an advancement was reviewed Cloud computing saves money by removing the need for costly infrastructure and it also gives businesses an easy-to-use cost-effective adaptable dynamic and secure environment in which to do business Radios are still commonly utilized to disseminate agriculture information to rural farmers according to the analysis while computers are primarily used by researchers Despite the fact that mobile-based services aimed to improve access to accurate and timely agriculture information previous literatures show that adoption is hampered by poor technological infrastructure ineffective ICT policies and low user capacity particularly among farmers to use the technologies