Unlocking Access to Markets for Smallholder Farmers

Farm Direct

Farm Direct is a tool that connects farmers to markets. Facilitated by youth agripreneurs who lead local sales strategies by overseeing logistics and buyer linkages, it enables farmers to aggregate their produce, access profitable markets and meet larger orders from diverse buyers within their local markets.

By providing access to markets and increasing incomes, Farm Direct is breaking down barriers and unlocking the potential of underserved communities, particularly women and youth smallholders in East Africa and Latin America

How it Works

Farm Direct captures detailed transaction data, including unit prices, farmer and buyer geolocations, and logistics details. 

Over time, this data provides valuable insights and trends to farmers, allowing them to access real-time market prices, identify the most profitable markets, and make informed decisions on where to invest. 

By leveraging Farm Direct, farmers eliminate time-consuming trips to markets and avoid exploitation by middlemen. Once crops are uploaded onto the platform, farmers can sell their produce after harvest, reducing post-harvest losses. Buyers source directly from farmers, ensuring high quality produce and traceability. Businesses benefit from streamlined procurement, supplier and quality management, saving both time and costs.

Register Products-01

Farmer registers products on the platform

Buyer makes order-01

Buyer makes an order

The order price is agreed  – facilitated by youth agent

Harvest-01

Farmer harvest crops and gets them ready for transportation

Youth Agent-01

Youth agent transports produce to the buyer OR farmer arranges their own delivery

Buyer sells produce-01

Buyer sells produce and makes more orders

Farm Direct in Numbers

 

After wrapping up testing and development, 2023 marked Farm Direct’s first full year operating on a larger scale.

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$
0
k
worth of sales in 2023
female farmer-01
0
%
of farmers selling on Farm Direct are female
veg-1-01
0
%
of farmers have sold 2 or more products on Farm Direct

Multi-Channel

To make Farm Direct more accessible to farmers, we’ve  introduced a WhatsApp bot for easy sign-up and selling. Plus, a USSD interface helps farmers without smartphones navigate sign-up, product registration, and sales agreements.

CASE STUDY

Lidia Burga and her family are located in the hilly terrains of Bagua Grande, about 1hr drive from the main commercial centre. 

Inspired by increased market access provided via Farm Direct, Lidia and her family diversified their family farm from just growing coffee to producing a diverse range of produce.

In the images shown, Youth Agents had just arrived to purchase chicken, cheese, coriander and sweet granadilla which they were going to sell to buyers in Bagua Grande. 

Lidia explained how the revenue they generated through commercialising their farm helped them fund the education of their children. They are now actively exploring ways they can invest in irrigation equipment to scale their vegetable production