In development
FarmGate
The proposed service for farmers and cooperative clerks: programme information, farm accounts, crop sales and advice through USSD, SMS and voice.
Services, pilot and design principles →Technology and farmer data.
Farmer records, basic-phone services and satellite research, with their development status explained.
A shared record across the business
A crop delivery, an input loan and a payment need to refer to the same farmer and plot. AVERON’s technology plan uses a shared record across cooperative services, processing and sales.
The platform is intended to connect farmer registration with input credit, delivery weights, crop grades and mobile-money payments. Buyers would be able to trace supply to its origin, while project teams would use the same records for reporting.76
What the farmer record contains
- Identity and location
- Farmer and cooperative details, consent, plot boundaries and crops.
- Inputs and credit
- Seed, fertiliser and services advanced, amounts owed and recovery at delivery.
- Delivery and quality
- Crop, weight, moisture and grade recorded at intake.
- Payment and traceability
- Payment to the farmer and the connection between the plot, delivery and buyer.
- Project reporting
- Production and participation records for monitoring income, services and supply.
Planned record structure from AVERON’s business model and technology plan.76
Read the farmer data platform plan →Different tools, shared records
Research stage
FieldSight
Research into combining satellite imagery and rainfall histories with field measurements and hub deliveries. Credit use depends on validation and farmer consent.
Data, validation and research stages →Farmer consent and human review
For the proposed credit research, farmers would agree how their plot data is used. A cooperative clerk should be able to explain the reasons for a recommendation, and a credit officer would make the lending decision.
FieldSight’s proposed checks include performance on small plots and intercrops, and differences by gender and plot size. A research model would have to pass validation before use as a product.76
Read the proposed farmer safeguards →Development priorities
Establish the records
Register cooperative members and map plots so delivery, credit and payment records can be matched.
Test services with cooperatives
Work with farmers and clerks on the FarmGate pilot before extending the service.
Validate the research
Compare FieldSight estimates with measured results before considering credit applications.
Sequence drawn from the business plan; timing depends on project development and pilot results.76