Innovating Kenya's Trading System Through Mobile Technology: A Case Study of M-Farm in Nairobi, Kenya
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This project paper explores the use and impact of mobile money in Kenya, with a focus on Mobile Farm (M-Farm), a mobile agritechnology platform co-founded and led by women in Kenya. A literature review and analysis of Kenya's agricultural supply chain illustrates the impact of an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) centered economy on the livelihoods of farmers in the country's rural areas. A more indepth review of literature highlights Kenya's main technology centered initiatives, including the Vision 2030 Campaign and Digital Economy Blueprint, which are government instituted ventures to grow both the country's urban and rural economies. Building on the M-Farm experience, special attention is given to how women, in the technology sector, are using basic mobile technology to close infrastructure deficiency gaps throughout Kenya's agricultural supply chain. This paper concludes by outlining how Kenya's technology campaigns are systematically prioritizing development in urban areas over rural regions. It also sheds light on how women are making strides to combat the deficiencies across the country's rural economy, by promoting agriculture-based mobile technology applications that are easily accessible by farmers, while working to connect women entrepreneurs across Kenya's female centered agriculture sector.