Meru farmers urged to go back to basics as Safaricom launches farming bundle
Meru County, Deputy Governor Lindah Kiome Adreses the farmers. Photo by Brian Gitonga
A new digital product promises extension services, input discounts and hospital cover — but the deputy governor says safer farming must start in the soil.
By Brian Gitonga
Farmers in Meru County have been urged to embrace safer agricultural practices and reduce their dependence on potentially harmful chemicals, as concerns grow over the link between farm inputs and rising rates of diet-related illness in the region.
The call came yesterday at the launch of Safaricom’s Bundle ya Mkulima in Meru County, where Deputy Governor Lindah Kiome told farmers that how food is grown matters as much as how much of it is produced.
Kiome encouraged farmers to revisit traditional practices, including the use of animal manure, alongside modern agricultural knowledge. She said such methods offered viable alternatives for those seeking to produce food while reducing unnecessary exposure to agrochemicals.
“In the past, our people used manure from animals to grow their crops, which is why experts today say that using such manure is one of the safest ways to produce crops that are healthy for the body,” Kiome said.
She also raised concern over the burden of cancer in the county, citing esophageal and gastrointestinal cancers among conditions that local doctors have flagged. Kiome said the pattern should prompt residents to pay closer attention to how their food is produced and what goes into it.
“Doctors have pointed to many cases involving esophageal and gastrointestinal cancers, which they say are linked to what people consume. That is why it is important to embrace safe farming practices,” she said, adding that the situation made it all the more urgent for farmers to learn how to handle farm inputs responsibly.
Meru County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Janaro Gatangugi welcomed the Bundle ya Mkulima initiative, saying it would make it significantly easier for the county to reach farmers with extension and veterinary services without requiring them to travel long distances in search of assistance.
“Safaricom has made our work easier in providing farmers with extension and veterinary services. Through Bundle ya Mkulima, farmers do not have to leave home because they can use data bundles to seek information and assistance on problems affecting their crops and animals,” Gatangugi said.
He said the digital approach would make access to agricultural support faster, more efficient and better suited to the realities of smallholder farming, where time away from the farm can directly affect production.
Safaricom Chief Consumer Business Officer Fawzia Ali said the product was developed following detailed engagements with farmers to understand what they actually needed, rather than what the company assumed they needed.
Those conversations, she said, revealed two consistent priorities: data to search for information about crop diseases and communicate with agronomists, and relief from the high cost of agricultural inputs. The bundle was designed to address both.
“We said the baseline for the farmers’ bundle must have data and minutes. Farmers also told us they spend most of their money on inputs, so we sought partners and agrovets near them to offer discounts to farmers subscribed to the bundle,” Ali said.
Farmers are expected to register through the DigiFarm platform and receive a membership number, which they present at participating agrovets to access the discounts available under the initiative.
The consultations also surfaced a concern that Ali said the company had not initially anticipated — the economic disruption caused by illness. When a farmer is hospitalised, she noted, the farm is often left unattended, with direct consequences for productivity and household income. That insight led Safaricom to incorporate an insurance component into the bundle, developed in partnership with Turaco.
“We sought a partner called Turaco, an insurance company, and agreed that when a farmer is in hospital, their family will receive support under Tunza Mapato. For up to 30 days in a year, they will receive KSh1,000 for each day the farmer is admitted,” Ali said.
The insurance component also provides up to KSh15,000 towards medical expenses. In the event of death, the farmer’s family receives up to KSh100,000 to help meet funeral costs — a provision Ali said was intended to ensure that a family’s loss did not compound into a financial crisis at the most difficult of moments.
The response from farmers at the launch was warm. Bernard Kinoti, a local farmer, said the bundle addressed two concerns that had been weighing on the farming community — the rising incidence of disease and the daily challenge of accessing reliable agricultural information.
“With the increase in diseases such as cancer affecting farmers in our county, it is thoughtful of Safaricom to introduce a programme that will help us when we fall sick,” Kinoti said.
He added that access to affordable data would allow farmers to research crop diseases, identify treatment options and connect with reputable agrovets — capabilities that many smallholders currently lack or access only at significant cost and inconvenience.
The launch marks Safaricom’s latest effort to deepen its reach into Kenya’s agricultural sector through the DigiFarm platform, positioning digital tools as practical, everyday resources rather than aspirational technology for a future that has not yet arrived for most smallholder farmers.
For Meru’s farming communities, the message from yesterday’s event was twofold: the tools to farm smarter are now more accessible than before — and the urgency to farm more safely has never been greater.
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