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The British High Commission, Nairobi, in partnership with Wowzi Technologies, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, and other stakeholders, organized a hackathon event to tackle the critical challenges facing food security in Kenya.
The event, which took place from March 31 to April 1, brought together experts from various sectors to brainstorm and develop innovative solutions to the challenges affecting food security in Kenya.
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Themes of the event
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The event's key themes centered on poor productivity, post-harvest losses, market linkages, and food shortage crisis preparation and response.
The hackathon aimed to encourage private and public sector partnerships to tackle these challenges and promote long-term sustainable food access solutions to improve the livelihoods of the most vulnerable in society.
UK's involvement
The UK's involvement in this event stems from the recognition that food security and well-being are critical to development in Kenya.
The UK is committed to supporting Kenya's efforts to achieve food security, reduce poverty, and improve the lives of the most vulnerable in society.
Role of technology & social media platforms
Wowzi, an influencer marketing platform, and a trailblazer in creating job opportunities within the gig economy, supported the event as part of its social impact commitment to promoting sustainable development in Kenya.
Wowzi recognizes that technology and social media platforms can play a significant role in enhancing agriculture and food security.
Winners of the Hackathon
The hackathon generated actionable solutions that can be implemented in Kenya and other countries facing similar challenges.
The winners of the event were MCHE and Hack Elite, who tied for first place. MCHE is a platform that provides farmers with step-by-step guidance, from choosing the right crops based on geographical areas to guiding them through planting, harvesting, and selling.
It also includes information and options to buy input. Hack Elite, on the other hand, proposed smart storage facilities to reduce wastage and feed starving people.
FarmNet, which came in second place, is an app that serves as a one-stop-shop for farmers, providing them with information on preparing land, the farming process, and harvesting.
The app includes data such as weather, soil PH, and good case farming practices of different crops.