Smart weather app helps Kenya s herders brace for drought
Tuesday, 16 February 2021 12:52 GMT
A young man at Merille Livestock Market in northern Kenya receives a call to alert him of the week’s weather forecast transmitted through the myAnga app, Merille, Kenya, on Feb. 2, 2021. Thomson Reuters Foundation/Kagondu Njagi
About our Climate coverage We focus on the human and development impacts of climate change
Share: App gets forecasts from virtual weather stations Information can save herders scouting as far as 120 km Illiteracy and low smartphone access limit app s reach
By Kagondu Njagi
MERILLE, Kenya, Feb 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Sitting under a low tree to escape the blazing Kenyan sun, Kaltuma Milkalkona and two young men hunch intently over the older woman s smartphone - but they are not transfixed by the latest sports scores or a trending internet meme.
This Weather App Helps Kenyan Herders Save Livestock and Their Livelihoods
The myAnga app limits livestock death by predicting extreme and erratic weather patterns.
By Kagondu Njagi
MERILLE, Kenya, Feb 16 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Sitting under a low tree to escape the blazing Kenyan sun, Kaltuma Milkalkona and two young men hunch intently over the older woman s smartphone but they are not transfixed by the latest sports scores or a trending internet meme.
The men instead are looking at a weather alert for their village in the country s north, sent through an app that uses weather station data to help pastoralists prepare for drought.
Smart weather app helps Kenya s herders brace for drought thestar.com.my - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thestar.com.my Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.