Online farmers market a necessity
THE agricultural sector has transformed rapidly over the last decade.
For the small holder farmer, it has changed from being just a source of subsistence, to a major source of income and livelihood.
Most small holder farmers sell-off their produce at food and vegetable markets doted across the country such as Mbare Musika.
At these markets, middlemen (makoronyera) usually are the final arbiter between buyer and seller.
The makoronyera determine the prices of all the farm produce, albeit to the detriment of farmers whose produce is sometimes bought at sub-market prices.
Further, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed how farmers access these markets, owing to movement and other restrictions, which have also affected consumers.
However, for those who are quick to adapt, these restrictions have spawned new opportunities to enable remote and more efficient access to markets.
Removing the meddlesome middlemen and providing unfettered remote access to markets appears to be the big question of the day.
For emerging techpreneur, Mr Ryan Katayi, founder and director of Farm Hut — an online farmer’s market platform — technology can bring farmers closer to markets remotely and cut out the middlemen.
“We have put in place a platform that allows farmers to meet buyers directly online,” said Mr Katayi.
“To do this, we have put in place technologies that include machine learning and artificial intelligence, which ensure that farmers are geo-fenced in the areas they are farming and sell to customers within their reach.
“This helps in cut transport costs for the farmer.”
Farm Hut conducts market surveys every morning in all the key markets countrywide before updating farmers on the prevailing prices of individual commodities.
“This allows farmers to make informed decisions”, said Mr Katayi.
He said while sporadic access to internet in farming areas remains a challenge, his platform has a way around this problem.
“To solve these problems we have developed an offline application which ensures that farmers can sell their produce within three days of registering on the platform and they can get notifications via text messages or phone calls when a buyer is interested in their produce,” he said.
He said the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has limited movement for both farmers and consumers has made technology a key aspect of the agriculture value chain.
“The idea is to promote smart and intelligent farming in the country and to make sure the farmer benefits fully from their efforts.”
The Government is encouraging farmers to harness new technologies in order to create linkages with markets.
Innovation is one of the key pillars of the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Strategy under agriculture research, innovation and modernisation.
Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Vangelis Haritatos said online marketing platforms can save lives during the pandemic because of limited congestion at food markets.
“Our farmers often do not see the full value of their produce because they are unable to match supply with demand,” he said.
“This unfortunate circumstance creates an opportunity for makoronyera or middlemen to take advantage of our farmers by buying low and also taking advantage of consumers by overcharging them.
“So, any form of matching that provides opportunities for our farmers to be able to access higher prices, while our consumers are able to purchase the same produce at lower prices is certainly welcome.”
Chief director for strategic policy planning and business development in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement Mr Clemence Bwenje said digitisation and innovation was the future of farming.
“To transform the agriculture value chain and from inbound logistics, production, processing and marketing so as to anchor Vision 2030, innovation is central and indispensable,” said Mr Bwenje.
“Innovation will mainstream more youths into the agriculture economy as an alternate to actual production given that land is a finite resource.”
Zimbabwe Farmers’ Union crops officer Mr Simbarashe Muchena said technology in agriculture improves efficiency.
He said products such as the Farm Hut application provides predictive analytics, artificial intelligence and big data, which are crucial for decision making.
“The product is providing a platform for produce aggregation and linkages to markets, which is key if we are to transform our small holder agriculture model,” said Mr Muchena.
Women in Agriculture Union ( WAU) policy and advocacy officer Mrs Memory Chakwita said online marketing of produce was critical during times when movement of people is limited.
“We applaud such initiatives as women farmers because they help in reducing transport costs and they also allow us to multi-task since you can do everything in the comfort of your home,” said Mrs Chakwita.
The online agro-marketing is a multi-million dollar industry in countries like China and Australia.