FAO, Bangladesh and Kenya share knowledge via South-South Cooperation on farmers registration and e-voucher systems
23 May 2024, Kenya — As a follow-up to last year’s scoping mission led by FAO’s South-South and Triangular Cooperation Division (PST) to Bangladesh concerning the PARTNER project, a delegation from the Ministry of Bangladesh, along with the FAO Representative and PST colleagues met in April in Nairobi, Kenya, to discuss the potential development of efficient Farmer Registration and E-voucher systems and witness their practice.
These systems were identified as key priority areas of FAO’s support under the PARTNER project Disbursement Linked Indicator (DLI) number 5, which focuses on the “expansion of digital service provision in agriculture via the Farmers (Krishak) Smart Card.” The main objectives of the DLI 5 are to reform the pertinent policy and regulatory framework, distribute smart cards to 22.7 million farm households, pilot e-vouchers as an e-subsidy and offer e-extension services.
In order to achieve the DLI 5 objectives, the delegation travelled to Kenya to learn about FAO’s best practices in the development and execution of Kenya’s Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS), which its government is currently utilizing.
Through a comprehensive farmer and farm registration process, the platform leverages the farmer contact information to provide value added services, such as inputs management, credit management and mechanization services. At the same time, it provides decision makers with information on production, yield and the effectiveness of subsidy programs, increasing benefits through improved targeting and greater transparency.
During the field visit, the delegation from Bangladesh also met with several key stakeholders including government officials, enumerators, agro-dealers, and farmers. This enabled them to get first-hand feedback on the ground.
Amid their visit, the Bangladesh delegation had the opportunity to witness firsthand the positive impact of KIAMIS on Kenya's agricultural sector. Ms. Ruth Syokau and Mr Allon Mathlli, a couple from Machakos County, shared their story, stating, "At the beginning, our family was food deficit. After doing the registration through KIAMIS, we have been receiving more and more support from the government and were able to increase our production and revenues. Now, the life of our family became much better".
Mr Kenya Konno, Programme Officer, PST, also highlighted: “This exposure visit is tailored in a very interactive manner and numerous exchanges of knowledge, and experiences have been conducted. Through our strong global network and accumulated experience, FAO will continue our solid support to Bangladesh through South-South Cooperation.”
At the end of the mission, Mr. Md Raquibuzzaman Khan, Deputy Programme Director and DLI-5 Lead, PARTNER, Ministry of Agriculture also confirmed Bangladesh’s willingness to continue working closely with FAO and the Government of Kenya, stating: “We had a valuable and practical experience regarding farmers profiling, e-voucher mechanism. We sincerely thank the Government of Kenya and FAO for giving this opportunity. The knowledge obtained during our visit surely assists us in devising and executing the deliverables of DLI 5”.
