‘Tool to benefit 3.5 million Malawi farmers’

A new research computer programme, dashboard, donated by Icon International (IC) to the Farmers Voice Radio (FVR), is expected to transform over 3.5 million small-scale farmers in the country, a government  official  has said.

Deputy director in the Department of Agriculture and Extension Service Frieda Kayuni said this on Monday when she received the donation at Sunbird Capital.

The programme, which was built in Abu Dhabi, has the capacity to send information such as weather forecasts, agriculture tips and any other relevant information to the farmers at their request in their preferred languages such as Chiyao, Chitumbuka or Chichewa.

“Farmers will now have direct access to information on a topic they want just by requesting. It will save time. In the past, extension workers had to travel distances to help famers in new farming practices, but that won’t be necessary now. It is a revolution in farming,” said Kayuni.

Apart from automated responses, radio stations partnering FVR can generate SMSs to send to farmers or answer their queries.

Said Usaid Malawi senior agriculture technical analyst Vincent Langdon: “It is a great concept which will certainly transform farming in the country. It surely will have tremendous impact once.”

The donation included four laptops with external hard disc drive, which will be stationed at FVR studio in Zomba.