Digital Agriculture in LMICs - 11 May #14
Indian and Vietnamese agritechs to join AgFunder accelerator, iProcure partners with FtMA for Tanzania expansion, GIZ and Gates on the lookout for AI innovations
03/05/22
Indian and Vietnamese agritechs selected for AgFunder accelerator
Three emerging agritechs from developing countries, have been selected among the ten startups taking part in the 2023 AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator . AgriFi and FaunaTech Solutions (India), as well as DHF Platforms (Vietnam), will receive USD$100K investment from AgFunder and in-kind programme benefits. Established in 2020, AgriFi is an agri/fintech that offers the app based KrishiKhata solution, a loan platform, digital ledger and market linkage platform (agri inputs). Also founded in 2020, FaunaTech is a smartphone-based diagnostics platform for early detection of critical diseases, monitoring cattle health and screening milk quality. Established in 2022, Vietnam’s DHF is a traceability platform that reduces food waste. Now in its fourth year, the GROW Impact Accelerator supports emerging foodtech and agtech startups supporting sustainable food systems. This year, it received 600 applications from 82 countries.
10/05/23
Kenya’s iProcure expands into Tanzania with FtMA partnership
Kenya’s iProcure, a provider of digital procurement solutions for agricultural value chains, is expanding operations in Tanzania through a partnership with Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA). The partnership is expected to improve access to supplies and services for 125,000+ Tanzanian farmers leveraging FtMA’s network of last-mile service providers – the Farmer Service Centres (FSCs). iProcure has a proprietary supply chain technology that supports business intelligence and data-driven stock management for agro dealers and enables efficient delivery of supplies to farmers. Through the partnership, by November 2023, iProcure solutions will be available to 100 out of a total of 295 FSCs operating in the country. FtMA is a group of six organisations focussed on smallholder agriculture including AGRA, Bayer, Rabobank, Syngenta, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and Yara. It operates in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Zambia. Established in 2013, iProcure raised in 2022 a USD 10.2 million Series B.
05/05/23
GIZ and Gates to fund AI/ML-based digital ag innovations in India and Kenya
The German Development Agency (GIZ), under the Artificial Intelligence for All – FAIR Forward initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are looking for AI-based digital agriculture solutions to support smallholder farmers and extension officers in Kenya and in State of Bihar, India.
A new call for proposals under the name Agricultural Information Exchange Platforms is offering grants of up to USD 400,000 for projects of up to 12 months. Projects must be supported by a cohort of partners willing to build and test an MVP that leverages AI and Machine Learning (ML) to build agricultural exchange platforms that are personalised, interactive and inclusive. Solutions should work in local languages and integrate data and technology to make digital advisory available to low-literacy and low-digital skills groups. GIZ and Gates Foundation are looking to support four of such MVPs. There is time to apply until 26 May.
09/05/23
SC Ventures launches B2B agri e-commerce TAWI in Kenya
SC Ventures, the fintech, investment and ventures arm of Standard Chartered, has launched TAWI, a B2B agritech marketplace for Kenyan smallholder farmers. TAWI aims to source produce directly from farmers and help them improve crop quality and scale. The agritech supplies commercial kitchens, which can order fresh produce directly on the platform. TAWI’s logistics team collects the produce from the farm and delivers within 12 to 18 hours. SC Ventures started incubating TAWI in 2022. In February 2023, the agritech started testing the platform. It has to date onboarded 1,000+ farmers, 250 commercial kitchens and fulfilled 1,000 deliveries. In the future, TAWI plans to embed financial services (loans and microinsurance) and agronomic advisory support.
04/05/23
India’s agri e-commerce Uzhavarbumi raises $854,000
India’s agri e-commerce start-up Uzhavarbumi has raised USD 854,000 from investment firm Anicut Capital through the Anicut Angel Fund. Founded in 2017, Uzhavarbumi procures milk from 2,200 rural and marginal dairy farmers, connecting them to urban buyers in the city of Chennai via its e-commerce app. The start-up, which adds value to dairy products by packaging and marketing them, will use the funding to improve its technology, plant, and machinery equipment and to boost its marketing efforts. The start-up has a direct-to-consumer app as well as a dealer app to support efficient last mile delivery.
In other news…
02/05/23
UNCDF calls for agritech and fintech innovators in the Pacific
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is looking for agritechs and fintechs with innovative solutions for smallholder farmers and agri SMEs to apply to the Pacific Agri-MSME Digital Innovation Challenge. UNCDF is looking for technology-based solutions that facilitate access to markets, finance, and inputs. In addition, it is looking for solutions that support efficient business processes and provide access to information and skills. The Innovation Challenge will co-fund private sector innovators (USD 40,000-80,000) to pilot and scale digital solutions in agricultural value chains for the growth and resilience of farmers, focusing on women and youth. Proposed solutions must be implemented in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tonga, Timor-Leste, Federated States of Micronesia, and/or Republic of the Marshall Islands. There is time to apply till 12 June.
09/05/23
AFEX announces Ag-Hackaton Challenge in Nigeria and Kenya
Africa Exchange (AFEX), Nigeria’s licensed private commodities exchange established in 2014, is calling for developers in Nigeria and Kenya to apply to its ag-hackathon AFEX Code Cash Crop 4.0. The ag-hackathon supports innovative solutions to address challenges in agricultural value chains. There are three separate challenges for which developers can apply. The Data Challenge is looking to develop a price data mining database in Nigeria; the Extension Challenge is looking for a USSD software for interactive farming advice; while the Logistics Challenge is looking for innovations around logistics and supply chain to ease transactions for farmers and processors. Up for grabs is funding for the winning innovators. The deadline for proposal submission is 30 May.
05/03/23
Applications open for GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition
Applications are open for the fifth annual USD 100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition organised by Generation Africa. Agritech is one of the focus areas of the competition, which is offering prizes of USD 50,000 to two Grand Prize winners, one man and one woman, in addition to the opportunity to attend the annual African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) held in Dar es Salaam on 5-8 September. The competition is open to African agripreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35, who are the founders or co-founders of innovative and scalable agrifood businesses. Generation Africa is a partnership initiative with a vision to strengthen the ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector in Africa. Founding partners are Econet and Yara International. Applications are open until 19 June 2023.