Farming information by mobile phone
The iCow system sends prompts to help farmers keep their cattle healthy
© WRENmedia
In June 2011, a new information service for farmers was launched in Kenya. Called iCow, the service works by sending information in the form of SMS messages to mobile phones. Types of information the system can send include: prompts for dairy farmers, to ensure they are correctly managing their cattle during pregnancy; information on veterinary and insemination services in the farmer’s local area; and market information to enable trade of livestock and livestock products between users of the service. The iCow system was a winner of the 2010 Apps4Africa award, and a finalist in the 2012 Innovation Prize for Africa. Creator of iCow, Su Kahumbu, explains to Eric Kadenge more about how the service works and the importance of mobile phones for delivering information to farmers.
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