In Ahero, Kisumu County, Kenya, CAN Data Fellow Andrew Karanja is helping farmers tap into the power of data to transform their livelihoods and build climate resilience.
Through his placement at ICON Data and Learning Labs (IDL) under the Global Partnership’s Capacity Accelerator Network (CAN) Fellowship, Andrew is spearheading a farming initiative that combines satellite imagery, weather forecasting, and community engagement to address three key challenges: climate adaptation, nutritional outcomes, and equitable access to farming solutions.
This work was recently profiled in Farmers Review Africa, highlighting how the initiative is enabling smallholder farmers to make better-informed decisions about planting cycles, crop selection, and resource use. Early outcomes point to a triple win: improved yields and nutrition, strengthened responses to climate variability, and more inclusive participation from women and youth in agriculture.
“Data is a powerful tool for solving problems but only when it’s accessible and used locally,” Andrew said. “Our goal is to make this technology work for the farmers who feed us.”
The initiative also reflects the broader aims of the CAN Fellowship: to embed data talent within local institutions where they can build capacity, transfer knowledge, and create scalable impact. By working alongside IDL, Andrew is co-developing approaches that align with community needs and government priorities, ensuring that data doesn't sit in dashboards, but shapes decisions on the ground.
The Global Partnership is proud to support fellows like Andrew who are showing how data can drive progress on climate, nutrition, and equity, not in theory, but in practice.
Read the full story in Farmers Review Africa.
