EDITORIAL: Adoption of technology key in war against pests

Reports that adoption of satellite-backed pest alerts has helped small-scale farmers reduce crop losses is clear proof that technology can play a vital role in today’s agricultural sector.

We welcome the initiative that saw farmers who received early alerts record a slight reduction in crop losses.

According to a survey conducted during the 2018/19 crop season, farmers who received alerts reported 21 percent losses compared to 26 percent by their counterparts.

The survey was conducted by the UK Space Agency, which is implementing Pest Risk Information Service technology to alert farmers on pests.

We welcome the participation of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International in the crucial survey.

While the small drop may seem negligible, it is further proof that scaling up the adoption of modern technology can help our farmers improve their harvests.

Kenya has in the past borne the brunt of pest attacks like the Fall Armyworm, which have destroyed crops and left farmers with massive losses.

In Meru County, macadamia farmers are likely to lose massively following an attack by flower-damaging mini bugs that cause flower and fruit failure. In Narok County, wheat farms were invaded by quelea birds that migrate from Tanzania, exposing farmers to losses

Being an agricultural-based economy, Kenya cannot afford to incur such losses hence the need to adopt measures that can help alleviate the situation. The bids also caused losses for sorghum farmers in Western Kenya.

We opine that the adoption of the pest alerts will go a long way in helping our farmers mitigate against the problem.

The primary goal is to enable the farmers harvest their crops with ease. The country at large stands to benefit if our farmers are enabled to circumvent the pest attacks.

We also urge the government to roll out such modern technology across our farmlands as it will go a long way in enabling our farmers to operate in a conducive environment. The Kenyan economy also stands to benefit tremendously if the agricultural sector can plug such risks.