Australia / Kenya connections - Insights from exploring agriculture innovation impact in Kenya
Chad Renando
Supporting Australian entrepreneurship and innovation, Research Fellow UniSQ, CEO Startup Status, MD - GEN Australia
I write this following an amazing week in Nairobi, Kenya, exploring the local agriculture innovation ecosystem. My trip came about from a regular catch-up conversation with Kuza co-founder Sriram Bharatam, alongside Kuza co-founder Bharathi Bharatam , their development team, colleagues, and wider ecosystem connections.
The week was a whirlwind of meetings, workshops, meals, laughter, and community. I now take a moment a week after the trip to share reflections based on applications for Australia, similarities and differences from an outside perspective, and opportunities to establish further infrastructure for shared impact.
Background and context
I previously shared the background of the visit, which came from a regular catch-up with Sri from Kuza. We were keen to review Kuza's model and connections with the Australian innovation ecosystem.
Kuza is an innovative platform that empowers young people and those with the most potential to build a thriving country and local regions through transformation in the agricultural sector. The approach develops individual agriculture entrepreneurs (or agripreneurs) from primary school to adults who act as catalysts for systems change in local communities, connecting suppliers and service providers to farmers, providing extension services, and conduits for industry sector and place-based transformation. The relationships across farmers, agripreneurs, and service providers are managed on a comprehensive digital platform providing deep insights for over 5,000 agripreneurs who, in turn, support around one million farmers.
Kuza provides effective agricultural 'extension services' to rural and remote communities. The 2020 paper Toward Effective Extension Services in Australia outlines the Australian context and provides considerations for public and private approaches to agriculture extension work. The Kuza platform trains and equips entrepreneurs with a platform with over 10,000 videos who then deliver training and connections between farmers, service providers, and government agencies. The approach also provides individual leadership development training, builds community among the agripreneurs and mentors based on local geography and sectoral focus, and supports the agripreneurs to develop multiple revenue streams.
My interest in the work is driven by understanding and addressing systems-level inhibitors and opportunities for place-based transformation. The work is informed by research into the contribution of innovation on community resilience , which has developed into current projects that were top of mind as I explored the Kenyan ecosystem:
It was also good to learn about the context of the Kenya innovation ecosystem and explore Australian parallels. There is a central government Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA) , a private Association of Startup & SMEs Enablers of Kenya (ASSEK) and Association of Countrywide Innovations Hubs , an association for Strengthening Kenyan Innovation Eco-System , entities supporting innovation in the agriculture sector including the Agriculture Sector Network and The Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) , and various reports on mapping and the state of the ecosystem listed at the bottom of this post. The recent 2023 Understanding the Kenyan Startup Ecosystem report provides a good overview, including a timeline and overviews of each aspect of the ecosystem.
A week in Nairobi
A week was short, especially considering the 30-hour transit time each way from and back to Australia. We were also constrained to the main city of Nairobi due to flooding across the country. But we were able to fit in a lot in a short time.
International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT)
On Monday, we connected with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) , one of fifteen Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Centers . What the centres are doing at a global scale in terms of research and application is impressive. I was struck by familiar challenges that came up in the conversation about collaboration and technology translation from experiences with models in Australia, including Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs) and sector-specific Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs) . There are also significant opportunities for shared efforts around impact evaluation, building capacity in the most marginalised, accommodating rapid technology advancement and climate impacts, and establishing governance structures for collective impact.
Kenyan agriculture digital ecosystem strategies and measurement
Later on Monday, we had the opportunity to attend and participate in conversations with the World Bank and other local leaders about the Kenyan digital agriculture ecosystem, including strategies, roadmaps, and impact measurement. Kenya’s agriculture sector employs over 40% of the population and more than 70% of the rural population, accounts for over 69% of the country's export earnings, and contributes to around a third of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Impacts on the sector are familiar and distinct, including rapid technological advances constrained by physical and digital infrastructure, increasing rates of climate-related events and transitions that disproportionately impact the disadvantaged, and shifts in global markets. Further local factors include an emerging innovation ecosystem, the risk of siloed service functions, a need to align funding and impact analysis, and land and population pressures.
The evolving conversation in Australian agriculture innovation includes several national bodies, with a few prominent examples being the National Farmers Federation , Agriculture Innovation Australia , AusAgritech , Australian Farm Institute , and the RDC AgriFutures , which hosts the growAg data platform and annual evokeAg national event. A map of indicative actors in the Australian innovation ecosystem can be found here . Each state and territory also has its own policy framework, as outlined in last year's AusAgritech survey and report . The report highlights the need for an aligned, consistent, and nationally agreed approach with farmers at the centre and to consider a holistic systems approach. These sentiments were shared in our conversations in Kenya.
The Garage - Innovation hub
We took a brief tour of the local innovation hub Nairobi Garage , if only to reinforce that hubs are a shared experience worldwide. Long halls passed rented offices, meeting rooms, and cubicles. An expansive rooftop provided space for ad-hoc coworking and large events. Larger rooms were being set up for weekend panel sessions. Founders and developers worked at dedicated coworking desks amongst startup and corporate banners.
The hub is a prime example of a large-city collaboration space. It also highlights the need for different models in rural communities with lower population densities. For an Australian example, you can see a list of coworking spaces and innovation hubs on the map here .
Community in Kuza
领英推荐
When we were not in meetings, a highlight of the week was spending time with the Kuza team. Over meals, drives, and workshops, we discussed structures, data models, and impact frameworks amidst laughter and personal stories. We created systems, community, and relationships built on a shared passion for sustainable collective impact.
I look forward to working through the many opportunities that will come from the conversations, including support with Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) frameworks, ecosystem mapping through social network analysis of activity data, development of place-based interventions, and governance and community development structures.
Boundary Spanning
In my post before leaving Australia, I requested to connect with anyone who might find shared value. One person who reached out was Meryn Zumbo Willetts who passed on an introduction to Felix Osok from The Aquaculture Consortium (TAC). TAC is an integrated value chain incorporating five independent enterprises that leverage each others' production and technology capacities, including Jumbo Fish Farm (JFF) in western Kenya, Viking Feeds in Homa Bay County, Vemric Enterprises in Siaya County, and Kamida Enterprises in Migori County. TAC is working with schools to engage young people in aquaculture and transforming local communities and the sector through sustainable practice.
Another person who reached out was Manvi Sharma of GSD Africa who introduced me to their CEO Shivam Garg . The organisation supports startups and technology companies seeking markets in Africa, addressing relationships with legal, investment, and customer markets. I look forward to exploring further connections with Australian incubators to support market access from Australia.
Elephants, giraffes, rhinos, oh my
Many told me that a trip to Kenya should include a visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage and the Giraffe Centre . I am grateful for their recommendations. We did not take the time for a full tour of the Nairobi National Park due to the time of day and other activities, but the opportunity we did have to get close to such amazing animals and learn about the conservation efforts was worth the effort.
Reflections and next steps
I return to Australia from Kenya with a sense of the similarities between our innovation ecosystems as much as what may be different. While the country context differs, there are many comparable structures, challenges, and opportunities. I was struck by similarities in conversations around the need for better collaboration in research translation, better approaches to breaking down silos, and a need for ecosystem leadership.
Areas of aligned need might include the development of:
I acknowledge that my views are based on a narrow perspective of the time and community I managed to meet. I look forward to hearing the perspectives of others who have experienced both countries and can provide further insights.
I am keen to share more about our work with Kuza and build on the relationships from the past week. As always, feedback and opportunities for shared value are welcome.
References
Broad economic strategies
Innovation-specific reports