Kenyan innovators to apply for $50 million Microsoft’s AI for Earth grant

Microsoft, through its 4Afrika Initiative, has pledged support to World Bank’s One Million Farmers Platform and will also provide technical and business support to the 14 Kenyan innovators selected to build technology solutions for the platform.

Microsoft mentors will work closely with each innovator to provide mentorship around business development, technology architecture and go-to-market strategies.

Additionally, innovators will have the opportunity to apply for Microsoft’s AI for Earth grant – a US$50 million programme that invests in solutions promoting sustainability around water, climate change, biodiversity and agriculture.

The pledge comes just three months after Microsoft 4Afrika partnered with the Alliance for a Green Revolution (AGRA) in Africa, which similarly looks to promote data-driven agriculture to improve food security in 11 countries.

Amrote Abdella, Regional Director of Microsoft 4Afrika said, “With an expanding population, there’s an opportunity to use technology to improve farm productivity, optimise resource use and increase crop yields to combat rising food insecurity. We’re fully committed to supporting agricultural transformation starting in Kenya – and the rest of Africa – and more critically, the innovators who are key drivers of this digital transformation.”

According to AGRA, smallholder farmers currently make up 70 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s population, contributing some 90 percent of food production. However, these famers are not currently reaching their full potential, challenged by limited access to markets, high cost of finance, low-yielding seeds and farm inputs, which leads to lower levels of productivity. For this reason, the One Million Farmers Platform is prioritising digital solutions in extension, financial services, markets and data-driven applications, helping Africa to capture the current US$300 billion food market, which is projected to be worth $1 trillion by 2030.

The One Million Farmers Platform will be working with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Irrigation, and 16 counties across Kenya, to ensure its success.

“We’re excited to have partners pledge their support to this initiative. Through combined networks, we hope to synergise investments at national and county level, accelerating the adoption of technology and driving agricultural transformation,” says Vinay Vutukuru, Senior Agriculture Specialist, World Bank.

In addition to its partnerships with AGRA and the World Bank, Microsoft’s investments in agriculture include its FarmBeats project, which is using is low-cost sensors, drones and machine learning algorithms to support data-driven, precision farming.

Previous winners of its AI for Earth grants in Africa include SunCulture, DHI Group and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, who are all using artificial intelligence to address food security and nutrition in Africa. Finally, through the 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft has also provided technical support to agri-tech start-ups locally and across the continent.

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