Project description
In September 2014 ‘The Mediae Company’ was awarded a grant by TradeMark East Africa Research and Advocacy Challenge Fund (TRAC) to implement their project “iShamba”. Alongside their partner, TorchBox of the UK, iShamba aimed to be the first subscription-based nationwide Kenyan Farmers Club that could directly meet the information needs of Kenyan farmers. By understanding and profiling the exact needs of farmers across the country, iShamba is delivering a tailored service to each customer based on their preferences, interests, and location. This targeted service works through a platform that digitally manages the information, and through an SMS distribution and call center facility that allows the dissemination of information without the need for a Mobile Network Operator (MNO). The project aimed to assist over 20,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya who would subscribe to the iShamba service. iShamba adds the next tier of services to the highly successful Shamba Shape Up television program which attracts around 4 million viewers in East Africa with engaging, accessible information about new practices that are adopted by farmers. The project, while still undergoing implementation, has been regarded as a success, with iShamba empowering smallholder farmers with access to quality agricultural information. The market price information improves their bargaining power by providing timely information on crop prices in local markets. Farmers benefit from special offers and discount prices offered by key EAC-based agri-product suppliers who are keen to use iShamba as a direct channel to new customers. An impact assessment by Research Guide Africa indicates that potato farmers that received iShamba SMS in 2015 saw a yield 50% greater than those that did not.
Tags: Agri-tech, e-agriculture, Empowerment, Mobile application, Short circuits
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Project summary
- Organization Mediae
- Location Kenya
- Creation date 16/11/2020
- Project category Smart-economy
