Like the rest of the world, Kenya’s food systems are in the middle of a digital revolution as the COVID-19 pandemic brought in the weaknesses of present food systems and highlighted the need for access to technology and digital connectivity for all. This Dialogue will address Action Tracks 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the Food Systems Summit, and is co-sponsored by the Government of Kenya, Microsoft and Strathmore University.

Access to information and communications technologies (ICTs) in both urban and rural areas is growing rapidly. But progress is uneven in geographic and socio-economic terms. In many areas women and youth have less access to smartphones and digital services, and in many cases access to ICT does not translate to improved outcomes in food and nutrition security, and livelihood for agricultural communities.

The Government of Kenya’s Agriculture Coordination and Digitisation Strategy seeks to address three key challenges: First, catalysing the research and innovation space in agriculture, including around use of big data and advanced analytics (AA). Second, enabling more reliable access to usable and shareable data. And finally, demanding for quality analyses to support evidence-based decisions on performance management, M&E, research, and policy. The Agriculture Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) 2019-2029 commits to ensuring that agriculture data is available, usable, timely, and interoperable. It recognizes the importance of having both traditional data such as censuses and surveys in addition to other innovative data sources.

The Agriculture Transformation Office will present an overview of the ICT landscape and present pathways to a Sustainable Food System from the Digitization Strategy, to allow stakeholders to identify intervention opportunities and make commitments. Microsoft will present Kenya’s Digital Transformation Roadmap providing the vision and strategies for the envisaged transformation.