KALRO conference to spotlight AI, climate-smart innovations in agriculture
Dr Thuo Mathenge addressing the forum yesterday. Photos/Courtesy.
By DMS
Researchers, policymakers, farmers, agribusiness players and development partners are set to converge next week for the Second Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) Scientific Conference and Innovation Expo, with a focus on accelerating agricultural transformation and enhancing food security.
The five-day event, scheduled for June 15 to 19, will bring together stakeholders from across the agricultural value chain to showcase technologies, research findings and innovations aimed at boosting productivity and building resilience against climate change.
Speaking during a pre-conference stakeholder and media breakfast meeting at KALRO headquarters, Director General Dr. Patrick Ketiem said the conference would feature scientific paper presentations, technology demonstrations and exhibitions of innovative products and solutions through both physical and hybrid platforms to enable wider participation.
“The conference provides an opportunity for stakeholders to interact, exchange knowledge and forge partnerships that can speed up the adoption of research-driven innovations,” said Dr. Ketiem.
Among the innovations to be showcased are climate-smart crop varieties, including maize, rice, sorghum and vegetables developed to withstand changing weather patterns. KALRO says it has released more than 100 climate-smart crop varieties and numerous technologies designed to strengthen food security, improve farmer incomes and enhance climate resilience.
The institution will also highlight bat-escaping sorghum varieties capable of reducing crop losses caused by bats by up to 90 per cent in arid and semi-arid areas.
Advances in livestock production, disease surveillance, vaccine development, fodder production, soil testing, water harvesting and post-harvest loss reduction are also expected to feature prominently.
KALRO Board Chairman Dr. Thuo Mathenge urged farmers, scientists and investors to take advantage of the forum to showcase their work and engage with researchers, noting that government policy encourages public-private collaboration to strengthen agricultural production and distribution systems.
The conference will additionally spotlight KALRO’s growing investment in digital technologies and artificial intelligence.
Director of ICT Simon Mulwa said the organization has established a big data platform supporting digital tools such as weather advisory applications and crop selection systems. He added that emerging technologies, including drones, Internet of Things sensors and digital soil mapping, are being integrated to improve data collection and analysis.
Mulwa noted that KALRO’s database of more than seven million farmers is helping lay the groundwork for AI-powered advisory services and an AI-enabled call centre that would provide round-the-clock agricultural support.
Held under the theme, “Innovation for Sustainable Agri-food Systems, Climate Change Resilience, and Improved Livelihoods,” the free-to-attend expo will also feature business-to-business networking sessions to foster investment and strategic partnerships.
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