Uasin Gishu farmers have a reason to smile after they received digital empowerment through Safaricom Digi-Farm, a new platform that provides an integrated smallholder farmer-centric solution that connects both farmers and markets.
The platform leverages technology to tackle common challenges faced by farmers and to also empower them with solutions to grow their businesses and maximize profitability.
The service is specially tailored to cater to the specific needs of farmers in providing localized information and discounted inputs.
The platform offers a convenient, one-stop access to a suite of services, including soil testing, quality inputs, insurance, mechanization and digital extension services.
Speaking in an interview during Safaricom Safire Connect Financial Wellness Zone, the forum that brought together over 1000 farmers in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, the Commercial and Operations Lead Digi-Farm, Ann Kabukuru, underscored the importance of the programme in terms of helping farmers digitize and track their records, which facilitates informed decision-making in future production.
Additionally, she mentioned the use of A.I. solutions through the DigiFarm Shauri app, where farmers can seek consultation on their crop and animal health to address any challenges and boost production.
“Digitizing records is the big part to enable farmers to keep records, especially in this county which is the bread basket of the country,” she said.
Through the Digi-Farm Soko platform, farmers, cooperatives and buyers interact throughout the production-to-collection stage of products across various value chains like tea, coffee, dairy and others.
“By digitizing the collection process, the farmer is able to approximate the summation of what is made per day in terms of sales, and this helps in proper planning and tracking both expenditure and profit made, hence empowering farmers,” added the Commercial Lead Digi-Farm.
She stated that The Agri-tech platform sustainably finances smallholder farmers and connects them to quality products, services and markets with a mission to bring smart agriculture to smallholder farmers to transform their lives and enhance food security.
“This also provides them with a digital record of their sales, which can be leveraged for further credit in the next season,” added Kabukuru.
Kabukuru further outlined the programme’s impact in the post-production stage where farmers are connected to buyers on the same platform. Buyers can source directly from smallholder farmers and pay them through an integrated M-Pesa wallet. The buyers can also access working capital to pay farmers cash on the spot.
In her remarks, Angeline Marakalo, a farmer from Tinderet Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) lauded the Digi-Farm saying it has educated them on how to invest and take care of crops and animals using their smartphones AI platforms.
“We can now use our smartphones, Ask Digi-Farm Shauri, take pictures of our crops and animals and enquire about health, market and extension services, we are very happy about this,” said the Farmer.
On his part, Emmanuel Kipchirchir, a youth farmer from Uasin Gishu, commended the agri-tech programme for empowering farmers, noting that it encourages young farmers to take part in agribusiness as a source of employment and support for livelihoods.
“I have learnt how to invest in high-value crop farming, embracing technology to grow coffee and tea. I encourage youth to indulge in agribusiness through coffee farming to earn a good income,” said Kipchirchir.
By Ekuwam Sylvester
