No Internet or smart phone? Don't fret, this app is for you

A technology company is working on tools to enable fish farmers access information on their simplest communication devices.

Upande limited CEO Mark De Blois said it won’t be necessary for farmers to have smart phones and access to internet to get information provided by the company that specialises in agricultural innovations.

At the moment, Upande Limited operates samaki.ke, a fish farmers app that allows only those farmers with smart phones and internet connectivity to access its wide range of smart fish farming products.

“We realised many fish farmers come from remote areas where they can’t access internet. Besides, not all of them can afford android phones,” says Mr De Blois.

He said the company is looking to reach out to farmers in western Kenya especially around Kisumu who continue to encounter innumerable setbacks, key being poor record keeping.

“Apart from the unfavourable government policies and fish imports from China, farmers still grapple with basics such as record keeping. We are working around offline methods that will provide alternatives for fish farmers with the simplest mobile phones,” said De Blois.

Services provided include record keeping at the farm pond, tracking growth of the fish and their performance, as well as facilitating remote fish farming.

The platform is a system of sensors applied to the pond to measure different water conditions and a remote system that analyses coded information after which results of the analysis are sent to the farmer.

Different sensors relay different sets of information including water temperature and acidity. This alerts the farmers on the change of conditions in the pond in case adjustments have to be made.

App users are allowed to create their accounts and accounts of all staff members at the farm. Separate accounts allow the farmer to access certain categories of information that can’t be accessed by staff. Other information provided includes the sizes and location of the pond. Daily information input includes stocking and feeding records.

“We are able to analyse these records from our end and send back results that link input to performance of fish. This way, the farmers can monitor the growth curve of their fish and know whether or not they are making profits,” says Mr De Blois.

“With the app, fish farming becomes easier since it solves the greatest challenge faced by fish farmers which is records keeping,” he added.