Pessl to install 15,000 smart weather stations in Kenya

Austrian agricultural technology firm Pessl Instruments will install 15,000 smart weather stations on Kenyan farms, the first stage of a plan to put 100,000 units across Africa.

The project, UpYield4Africa, was launched in Nairobi on Friday. It targets small-scale farmers, who will receive weather and soil readings from their own plots to help them plan, cut climate risks and reach buyers.

The stations carry the METOS brand and record rainfall, temperature, humidity, soil moisture and leaf wetness. Farmers will view the readings on the FieldClimate platform, which also provides forecasts and crop disease alerts. Pessl Instruments founder and Chief Executive Gottfried Pessl said the technology would give farmers information specific to their location to guide decisions through the growing season.

According to the organisers, farmers can use the data to decide when to plant, irrigate and apply fertiliser. It is also meant to help them manage pests and diseases and prepare for extreme weather.

AgriMet Data Kenya is the local implementation partner. It will distribute, install and maintain the stations and provide training and support to farmers.

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Farmers will be organised into production clusters, with digital farm advisers helping them interpret the data and match production to market demand. The initiative will also link them to agricultural advisers, input suppliers, financial institutions and produce buyers. Organisers say the model responds to fragmented production, limited access to farming advice, unpredictable weather and difficulty meeting the supply needs of commercial buyers.

A financing plan has also been proposed. Austrian financial institutions and a Kenyan bank would lend to cluster companies or produce buyers, secured against eligible equipment and crop purchase agreements. Individual farmers would not have to offer land or personal assets as security.

That arrangement is not yet final. It remains subject to lender due diligence and regulatory approval. KCB’s participation is provisional, and terms have not been agreed.

Austrian Ambassador to Kenya Simone Knapp said the initiative would strengthen cooperation between Austria and Kenya in agricultural technology and food security.

By our reporter

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