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The afternoon heat settles over David Wamae’s farm in Karen, southwest of Nairobi’s central business district. The landscape is lush, a deep green stretching across the fields where his cows graze. Two decades ago, he ran his farm by instinct; with handwritten records stuffed into a notebook, prone to getting lost or damaged. But this has changed.

A few taps on his phone, and Wamae can see everything; how much milk each cow produced yesterday, which ones are due for breeding, and whether any show early signs of illness. It is a level of precision that was once unimaginable in small-scale farming, and it is transforming Kenya’s dairy industry.

“We had no point of reference to actually monitor and evaluate ourselves. But right now, we can know which areas where we are having challenges, and thereby coming up with solutions or mitigations that help us in our business.” Wamae says, his face lit with the quiet confidence of someone who knows he is onto something big.

Kenya’s dairy sector contributes over 14 percent of the country’s GDP. Yet for years, small and mid-sized farmers like Wamae have struggled with inefficiencies, including unpredictable milk yields, diseases, and financial losses due to poor record-keeping.

“With digital solutions, farmers no longer have to guess,” says Ronnie Njuguna, DigiCow Africa Limited’s Lead IT. “They can track data in real time, manage their cows better, and ultimately, increase their yields.”

Dairy farmers who integrate digital tracking tools increase their milk production. With Kenya consuming over 5 billion liters of milk annually, digital innovations like DigiCow play a critical role in improving efficiency and sustainability in the sector.

However, adoption is still a challenge. Many farmers hesitate, fearing the cost or complexity of the technology or lack thereof. Some, like Wamae, took the leap and never looked back.

“This came in as a solution to actually help farmers with the management of the farms. So me, I’m a fan of innovations, and if you’re going to stay in business and keep afloat, you have to keep on with the trending patterns and whatever is new that comes to help the farmer is definitely a welcome.” Wamae says.

Dairy farmers using the DigiCow dairy farming mobile app reported increases in milk yields and reductions in losses due to better management. For farmers without a smartphone, they can access information via SMS or through training in their vernacular languages. DigiCow has supported more than 500,000 farmers in Kenya through training.

Currently, Wamae’s farm milks eight cows on his farm but the number keeps changing. His profits are up by 30 percent since adopting tech, achieving even up to 300 liters daily.

As the afternoon wears on, Wamae walks across his farm, glancing at his phone. The data tells him everything he needs to know. For Kenya’s dairy industry, the future is digital—and for farmers like Wamae, that future has already begun.