M-Farm

M-Farm connects smallholder African farmers with urban and export markets via SMS and a web-enabled marketplace. M-Farm negotiates with buyers to create demand and assures quality through its network of agents. This motivates smallholder farmers to move beyond subsistence and into cash crops that can feed Africa and the world. Out of 5 million households in Kenya, 4 million are smallholder farmers, representing 24 million people. They lack access to market urban or export markets and thus either are exploited by middlemen or have little motivation to grow cash crops. Farm inputs that might increase crop yield are costly, as they live on less than $2 a day. M-Farm offers value to both suppliers and buyers. The farmers are motivated to grow crops for guaranteed buyers at favorable market prices. M-Farm Agents further elevate product quality and crop yields through training on good agricultural practices and discounts on inputs. Buyers access a new source of supply, primarily organic, to meet growing urban and international demand. They receive high quality produce, supply chain transparency, and pre-negotiated prices that cushion them from price fluctuations.