Vodacom has partnered with the Deutsche Gesellschaft f"ur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) to launch a mobile technology solution to support South African small-scale farmers.
Vodacom says the Connected Farmer platform, a cloud-based Web and mobile software solution, will link thousands of smallholder farmers to the agriculture value chain, enabling access to information, services and markets. The project has an estimated combined investment of EUR1.5 million (R21.4 million) over three years.
A farmer can use any mobile device on any network to access the Connected Farmer's platform and, through SMS, receive valuable information including weather forecasts and market prices. Farmers with smartphones can access the same platform with increased capability to access additional content.
Through the partnership with Manstrat Agricultural Intelligence Solutions, a local developer of agricultural decision support systems, Vodacom will provide farmers and enterprise users with access to a broad and deep reservoir of relevant and expert content.
"Vodacom believes that ICT provides innovative solutions to address Africa's societal and economic challenges. Leveraging the successful implementation of Connected Farmer projects in East Africa, we are laying the foundation for inclusive growth in the agriculture sector through integrated value chains in agriculture," says Vuyani Jarana, chief officer for Vodacom Business.
"Digitising the agricultural value chain means that smallholder farmers will benefit from access to information and markets. Vodacom and its partners will enable this while reducing some of the risks carried by agribusinesses. Vodacom's ICT services enable enterprises to have real-time visibility of their supply chains, as well as the ability to engage and communicate with smallholders directly," Jarana adds.
Agribusinesses pay a monthly service fee per farmer and per mobile enterprise user; they then receive the requisite hardware, software, training and support as a managed service.
"German development co-operation views ICT solutions as having huge potential to support smallholder farmers in the commercial agriculture segment through linking farmers and agribusinesses to potential buyers and services," according to Christiane Kalle, GIZ country director for SA and Lesotho.
"At the same time, we find that producing agricultural goods sustainably and at high quality is key to the farmers' success. With this initiative, we address both of these challenges and expect significant employment effects."
Vodacom says food security in SA remains a challenge, with just 30 000 commercial farmers being responsible for most of the country's food production.
"Over 200 000 smallholder farmers and an estimated 2 million subsistence farmers have an important role to play in food security and poverty reduction, yet their access to markets, information and finance is limited or non-existent," Vodacom says in a statement.
"Africa is a net importer of cereal, yet it is endowed with greater proportions of arable land. For Africa to be able to feed itself, the application of ICT-based solutions like the Connected Farmer is critical," Jarana adds.
There is also a lack of available data on smallholder farmers and their supply chains, which is a barrier to informed decision-making by agribusinesses and policymakers, according to Vodacom.
Mobile ICT solutions like the Connected Farmer platform will help to address this by providing farmers with the services they need. This promotes sustainable agricultural practices, enhances productivity and reduces risk.
"Sourcing from smallholder farmers as a result becomes more realistic and executable for food manufacturers and retail businesses, increasing the number of smallholders and subsistence farmers in commercial agricultural value chains," Vodacom says.
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