Nairobi — Kenyan farmers will now be able to track prices of fertilizers locally and globally through a new Pan-African online platform.
The AfricaFertilizer.org (AFO) website seeks to promote food security in Kenya as well as 17 sub-Saharan African (SSA) States by providing in-depth data on fertilizer supply chains and availability.
It was developed by AFO in partnership with Development Gateway and Wallace & Associates.
"Data sometimes looks so complicated, you wonder where to start and how [to] figure it out. This [dashboard] is highly commendable," Nigeria Institute of Soil Science Registrar/CEO Victor O. Chude said.
"It is easy to use and contains a lot of useful and helpful data. It will enhance our work as soil scientists and extension agents in making recommendations," the Professor added.
Data from the website will help private sector, national governments, the African Union (AU), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, and development partners make informed decisions on availability, policy, price, and uses of fertilizers in SSA.
Demand for food in Kenya as well as other African Nations have piled pressure on soil, losing tons of nutrients.
To improve yield, small- and large-scale farmers have turned to inorganic fertilizers, driving up demand and putting pressure on the supply chain.
To help meet this need, AFO, DG, and Wallace & Associates, working with industry sector players at national levels, have co-created and launched three country-specific dashboards in Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, which aggregate country-specific fertilizer data and act as trustworthy sources.
The website displays fertilizer data on trade, production, consumption, and retail prices for 18 SSA countries.
"Users of the new AfricaFertilizer.org website will have the ability to customize data visualizations for cross-country comparison and access timely information on fertilizer markets," it added.
"One primary goal behind the website is to allow stakeholders to track progress in meeting the targets identified in the 2006 Abuja Declaration, using the data provided on the website."
