Daniel Maingi

Fellow Followup April 24, 2024

We spoke with Daniel Maingi, a DCSL/CCSRE Fellow for the 2023-24 cohort and a dedicated science and development practitioner in Kenya. Our conversation focused on his advocacy for smallholder farming in the digital age and the significant challenges faced by local communities due to the influence of large corporations and donor organizations.

Daniel discussed the adverse impact of corporate and donor-driven initiatives on local communities, highlighting the critical issue of data governance for smallholder farmers. He shared his concern over the marginalization of these farmers in policy discussions about agricultural data, which often prioritizes the interests of powerful–often U.S.-American and European entities. Despite his waning hope, Daniel remains committed to raising awareness about the digital challenges facing Kenya’s agriculture, believing it essential for the region’s social transformation.

Tara: How did you learn about the fellowship?

Sure. Here, in Kenya, we’ve been battling a lot of changes in agricultural laws. I’m one of four people looking at the policy changes that are happening. Back in 2019, the government, through a push by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has been implementing digital agricultural transformation of the food system, everything from producers to the consumers. That transformation is wreaking havoc because a lot of data is required. Very big organizations and companies like The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Monsanto are supposed to be transforming communities with the data. But before we knew it, and before there was any public participation in Kenya, the government had already passed laws on data governance. These changes have been influenced by European laws in a way that absorbs industry and overlooks American and corporate responsibilities when it comes to bad data and data loss. 

So, we’ve been watching this space since 2019. When this fellowship opportunity came up with Stanford, we were very grateful. We were able to put our heads together with other people to think about what data governance means, especially to small farmers. We’ve been thinking about ways of boosting support for small farmers as opposed to coming in and demanding what data governance is and should look like for them. 

Tara: For folks who are not familiar with the term, how do you define data governance?

Basically, it is the right to have your data taken; it’s looking at how correct that data is in the way it’s used, looking at who handles it, and what to do with the data. If non-corporate and non-government entities are in control of data, that brings the issue of data governance to the forefront. With farmers, and smallholder farmers here in Kenya especially, that are so poor they don’t have the technological gadgets like big corporations do. So, they end up just being the subjects of data. 

When big corporations are mining data and being able to analyze and figure out who needs, for example, chemical fertilizers or seeds, that becomes an abuse of power in terms of data being taken without permission or prior informed consent. 

Tara: Can you talk about your current project and where you envision the project will end up once your fellowship is over?

It’s a good question that you’re asking. For the very first time, the fellowship has enabled me to be one of the very first people in Kenya and East Africa to begin to consider what rights of an alternative farming system. This fellowship has enabled me to think more broadly. I’ve had to take a few steps back and actually attend classes, workshops, and trainings just to understand what it is we are dealing with before I can be a spokesperson of digital rights for agricology and smallholder farmers. That space has been taken over by big corporations with a lot of funding. The power play is not to the benefit of smallholder farmers.

So when the project ends, it’s just a beginning for us here in Kenya. We’re working with about 300 smallholder farmers and community-based organizations that are just beginning to talk about data governance. We’re becoming more aware of the issues and changes that need to happen, and we must demand. Thankfully, we can still go to Twitter [X] and make noise. We can go to the streets, if need be. But it’s just the beginning. A lot of people are starting to open their eyes regarding what we need to do in agricology, data governance, and especially in terms of how to fight against extractive schemes of big corporations coming from the United States, where again, you have so many billionaires with a lot of idle money. They use their money and influence to say, ‘you can come this far, but not beyond this point that we allow.’ But we also believe there are areas where we can use data and new digital tools to empower smallholder farmers. Being empowered means a lot more to us than free donations coming from the likes of Bill Gates, who I know isn’t that fond of us.

[Laughing]

But fair needs to be fair. We need to be able to continue to look at this area with sovereignty in our hearts, in our minds, and especially in our food systems.

Tara: What successes and challenges have you encountered so far as a fellow and what lessons have you learned, if any, during the fellowship?

Well, other than in the very beginning where in Kenya Visas are so very hard to get–I think it’s probably six months out before you can get an interview–I’ve also had challenges being able to get into the Stanford system. That said, when I did get access, I was able to connect with a lot of very helpful channels and find knowledgeable resources that allowed me to better make sense of the issues I’m working on. 

Other than that, the biggest challenge in the field has been dealing with funding sources like Bill Gates and other corporations. They’ve already set up regulations and policies with very little participation from Kenyan citizens and the general community of farmers. And while these external funding sources sound good, we also know this is a very closed space that essentially keeps little farmers out. But they also have the right to be at the table to say, ‘oh, by the way, when you’re giving out these subsidies, you’re also ignoring the community of agricology farmers you’re extracting data from.’ 

So that’s been a challenge. We als need to redo the laws, certainly across East Africa and the rest of Africa. We need to alert communities that if you close your eyes, the big corporations will come in and set the laws, and they’ll set them according to their own interests and not in the interest of the farmers.

It’ll probably be another several years before we get a true agricology crusader to bring in the voice of the smallholder farmer. 

Tara: Are you hopeful things will change and smallholder farmers will be able to see some kind of representation sooner than later?

Smallholder farmers have very little support financially, even with capacity building. So, even when their voices are heard and when they are led into these closed spaces, it’s still a very big challenge for them to see change that benefits them. My hope has dimmed a lot. But I’m still hopeful that there will be other projects like what we did with Stanford. I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to find more opportunities to bring about critical mass, and to think, talk, and strategize about how to empower smallholder farmers so they will not be overrun by the big tractor that Monsanto is, for example, in the digital space.

So yes, even though my hope is a little bit dimmed, it was a very important spark that the Stanford project started. And I’m hoping that I’ll be able to continue my relationship with Stanford, so at least we’ll be heard and not silenced.

As far as changing voices, we hope to join with Barbara Ntambirweki in Uganda to bring awareness to the importance of smallholder farmers and their voices across the East African community or the African Union so that we can at least have another platform to air our issues.

Tara: In what ways can the fellowship community continue to support your work?

I was actually hoping that after the 18 months are over for the fellowship that we will all be able to stay in touch. I want people to check up on me; ask how we are doing and really give more space to our work across different publications. Even three or four years down the line, I believe it will still be important to stay connected. 

It’s going to be important, whether fellow cohorts from this year, my year, or the years to come, if we continue having discussions, maybe an online forum, and hearing what’s going on, I think it will be pretty important for capacity building. 

My doors are always open. I’d love to host each and every one of the fellows just because you never know what areas of work will connect. I want to continue to strengthen the voice of agriculture in the digital space. As I said, when Kenya first embarked on agricultural transformation in the digital space, there were a lot of bad experiments. And I’m hoping that, with all the fellows passing through the program, they can look to Kenya and help us think through these problems together.

Tara: Anything else you’d like to share?

People are starting to recognize how important this work is. So, I want to continue to expand the Stanford work into other opportunities. Kenya will be critical as the first place where all the countries in Africa will be looking to. It’ll be important for Stanford to continue to look for ways and means to support some of this work that has been started. It’s a big part of sustainability. Hopefully, we can find different routes of fundraising to ensure communities stay together and are not drowned out by billionaire funders coming in from the United States.