Esther, One of the additions we shall put in the open data portal is the mapping of Kenyan soils. This is key to our agriculture because at the taouch of a button you can tell what kind of food crops grow in certain locality, how much you need to produce in order to break even, what are productivity levels etc. This is called smart farming. Old economics will tell you of comparative advantage. For example you are far more productive growing maize in Trans Nzoia than in Kangundo. But what do you see. Kangundo which can productively grow fruits is growing maize. In most cases farmers hadly harvest anything. Youth or older people want predictability in any venture. After which people will begin to meet their expectations. We simply have too many people with shattered expectations. That is why youth find it prudent to run away fron non productive land. We must bring hope back and predictable expectations through ICTs. We can confidently promise better outcomes for people of Kangundo if we assisted them grow crops that will produce what they want. Exchange their goods and services through middle men with people of Trans Nzoia. In the process you create employment. Built into this are strategies of delaying consumption through value addition and better storage capacities. For example, we must show Kisiis how to dry bananas for cereals production. Cerals can even be exported but not fresh bananas that rot and lose value. Teach Maragilis how to make juice from guavas. Packaged juice can be exported instead of importing it from South Africa. Teach Kambas how to make juice from mangoes. Mango juice is the most loved juice by foreigners. There is no need for us to import it. This is how wealth is created and wherever there is money, you do not need any science to make both youth and the old to invest their time. People who eat ugali for the first time find it tasteless. We must not make this tasteless commodity to bring food insecurity to our country. If we must have maize then we must deal with post production of the commodity to reduce wastage. We must have industries for canning Githeri and Mokimo in such a way that we can delay consumption of it across seasons. Such that when we have a bumer harvet, we can store value from that season to another that may be charcterised as drought. Let us manage the entire supply chain of food in this country. One Kenya. Ndemo.
Daktari - you have touched on an area I am passionate about: Agriculture.
Swali: How do you plan to ensure the youth embrace agriculture and see it as a viable business? How will you bridge the gap between research and production/value-addition? My fear is without a deliberate effort to engage our youth in this sector, it will remain a domain of the 'old' (who will soon disappear) and we will watch our farms go to waste. Our youth crying 'hakuna kazi' and 'tunaomba serikali'...and the Turkana story will never end...
What is your strategy? And how will ICT come into play in this sector under your leadership?
Esther
-----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of bitange@jambo.co.ke Sent: Tuesday, August 02, 2011 10:23 PM To: emuchiri@andestbites.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Bitange for President? Driving Knowledge Economy? OnlineInterview with PS Ndemo
Grace, First I feel greatly honoured by your thoughts. Since I do not have money for such an undertaking, I will respond hypothetically.
I will consolidate on the gains we have made in automating public sector to create more resources to address emergencies like drought. For example, within 100 the e-procurement will be operational. This will free 40 - 50 billion wasted annually.
While finalizing automation in Judiciary and Lands (where I will raise another 20 biilion) I will comprehensively deal with the situation in Northern Kenya (you cannot govern hungry people) by creating urban centers and support zero grazing through provision of hay from South Rift. Spend 5 billion to construct dams a long the Ewaso Nyiro river. Use gravity to get River Omo water via the Chalbi desert into dams in parts of Marsabit and start irrigation prjects. Utilize the Tana Delta to provide more food.
Spend 2 billion on diversifying our food eating habbits. This will remove unnecessary demand for maize that makes it expensive and leads to cost push inflation. There is no reason why potatoes should rot in Nyahururu when a few kilometers north people are hungry and waiting for Maize meal. Further will start cottage industries to deal with post production where we lose 30% of our food. Only in Kenya where we compete with weavils in eating maize. Much of the maize and beans should be canned as githeri to avoid wastage and create jobs.
Within year one we shall have end to end government in place and serve mwananchi day and night making a 24 hour economy a reality and create more employment. Will outsource judicial services such as transcriptions to reduce backlog and improve not only governance but create real justice.
Of course on innauguration I will actualize open government where every Kenyan would feel part of the government. Ensure that all information can be accessed on the mobile platform. Give incentives to lower price of smart phones as well as cost of accessing internet. Will encourage aggressive content development especially on e-learning.
Within 100 days will embark on a ppp to develop a 5,000 MW energy plant in order to break away from minimalist investment in the sector. More importantly to deal with powerful indepedent power producers who have guarded their profits more than national interests.
Give incentives to build solar pannels for use in remote parts especially in schools that will all be hooked to DTH TV for learning.
Provide legistlators with research assistants and create a culture where they do not open their mouths unless they have facts on th issue.
And more ..
Ndemo.
Sent from my BlackBerryR
-----Original Message----- From: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com> Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke Date: Tue, 2 Aug 2011 17:43:20 To: <bitange@jambo.co.ke> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: [kictanet] Bitange for President? Driving Knowledge Economy? Online Interview with PS Ndemo
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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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