The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARLO) has developed an online platform that allows farmers to easily tell the variety of crops they can grow within the locality.
Dubbed ‘KALRO Selector’, the platform is a Big Data service that was developed with an aim of providing advice to farmers on what is the best to grow or keep on their land.
For a farmer to check what is best to grow on his/her farm, all they have to do is go to the platform and select their county, sub-county and then ward after which they will get the advisory.
Aside from an advisory on best crops, the platform also has a section where a farmer can identify livestock breeds that can do well in their area.
There is also an option for one to know the pasture variety that can be grown at a specific location during the short rainy season.
KALRO is a corporate body created under the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Act of 2013 to establish a suitable legal and institutional framework for the coordination of agricultural research in Kenya.
It is mandated to among others promote, streamline, coordinates and regulate research in crops, livestock, genetic resources and biotechnology in Kenya.
Further, it expedites equitable access to research information, resources and technology and promotes the application of research findings and technology in the field of agriculture.
