Safaricom Ltd in partnership with Green Dreams Ltd have introduced the new revamped iCow application, a set of agricultural service, which will be accessed using a USSD code aimed at promoting smart dairy farming.
The application will be accessed by USSD *285#, the farmer will subscribe to the code which will cost them Kshs. 3 per message.
With this application, Kenya’s farmers will be able to access tips on better farming methods which will help them improve their dairy output and afterwards increase their returns.
“iCow survey data shows farmers who have been on iCow for 7 months begin to realise an increase of milk of between 2-3 litres per animal per day. This is an increase of about 610-930 litres a year which translates into an average increased income of 25-30k per animal per year. iCow data shows farmers have reduced cow and calf mortality thus enabling farmers grow their greatest asset base,” said Su Kahumbu, Green Dreams Limited.
The application features, Kalenda, which offers farmers nutritional and vaccination tips for their cows during the gestational period and up to birth. Mashauri, another feature, is a service that sends farmers three SMS tips every week on dairy farming. The last feature is the Vet and Artificial Insemination service, which links farmers with professional veterinarians within their respective geographical areas on demand.
“iCow is an easy to use, affordable and convenient mobile phone application which will empower Kenya’s dairy farmers with global best practices. iCow is a clear demonstration of how technology is positively impacting key spheres of our economy,” said Safaricom CEO, Bob Collymore who spoke as he launched the service during this year’s Brookside Breeders’ Show.
