Digital Agriculture in LMICs - 27 Feb #4
G20 looks at potential for drones in agriculture, new USAID/Gates-funded report on data governance for farmers, Morocco’s agritech Terraa raises $1.5 million
16/02/23
Drones capture the attention of G20 Agriculture Working Group in India
The first meeting of the G20 Agriculture Working Group (G20 AWG) has concluded in Indore, India. The potential to use drones in agriculture was one of the key topics discussed. India’s Union minister of civil aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia highlighted the role that drones can play in improving agricultural practices, not only for pesticide spraying but also for other applications such as organic farming. India aims to become a global hub for drones by 2030. To support the growth of the sector, the country looks to leverage the Production Linked Incentive Scheme (PLI), which offers financial incentives of up to 18% to boost domestic manufacturing of automotive tech. According to reports, the drone industry in India has grown 6-8 times in the last one-and-a-half years. The main meeting of the G20 AWG will take place in Hyderabad on 15-17 June.
20/02/23
New report unpacks data governance for farmers in a digital world
Non-profit organisation Development Gateway has launched the report Farmer-Centric Data Governance: Towards A New Paradigm. The study looks at the use of farmer and farm data in digital agriculture and unpacks data governance practices and challenges within the sector. The report advocates for fair and equitable data governance models for farmers. It showcases farmer-centric data governance models and the enabling factors needed for their implementation. The study has been co-founded by USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
14/02/23
Moroccan B2B market linkage platform Terra raises $1.5 million
Morocco’s B2B market linkage platform Terraa has raised USD 1.5 million pre-seed funding in a round led by early-stage VC investor FoodLabs. The start-up was established just last year. Terraa sources fresh produce from Moroccan farmers and links them with buyers higher up in the value chain. The company, which is looking to disrupt the traditional value chain dominated by intermediaries, plans to use the funds to build collection centers in all major agricultural cities. Key benefits for the farmers are better prices, lower transportation costs and time efficiencies. Other participants in the funding round were UM6P Ventures, Outlierz Ventures, Musha Ventures and DFS Lab.
24/02/23
Koltiva launches ethical e-commerce platform in Indonesia
Indonesian agritech Koltiva has launched KoltiTraceShop, an e-commerce platform offering traceable and ethical products. Established in 2013, Koltiva provides end-end digital agriculture solutions from traceability to financial services. KoltiTraceShop is positioned as Indonesia’s first e-commerce platform entirely focused on sustainable and ethical products. Products on offer include coffee, chocolate, spices and sugar. Koltiva operates in 32 countries and in 39 crops, including coffee, palm oil, rubber and specialty commodities. It has a base of 770,000 registered farmers and 9,500 business users.
In other news…
13/02/23
Winners of Africa-Korea Agtech Innovation Challenge announced
Three start-ups have been announced as winners of the Africa-Korea Agtech Innovation Challenge. Uganda’s EzyAgric, Kenya’s Kuza Biashara and Ghana’s Farmerline emerged from a pool of 21 start-ups to win prizes. EzyAgric, a value chain digitisation platform and a B2B marketplace, won the award for improving agricultural productivity and efficiency. Kuza Biashara, a social enterprise and agritech offering business and entrepreneurship training, won the award for improving market access and providing downstream and upstream linkages. Farmerline, an end-to-end digital agriculture platform, won the award for facilitating the financial inclusion of farmers. The challenge is backed by The World Bank, with support from the Korea World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF) and the Korean Green Growth Trust Fund (KGGTF).
15/02/23
Agritech Azaylla connects Cambodian farmers with Japanese market
Cambodia’s agritech start-up Azaylla has announced a collaboration with Japan’s Institute of Environmental Rehabilitation and Conservation (ERECON). Under the partnership, Azaylla will buy produce such as cucumber, cabbage, lettuce and bok choy, from Cambodian farmers via its market linkage platform linking them to the ERECON network. Established in 2019, Azaylla works with 3,000 Cambodian farmers. In August 2022, it raised an undisclosed amount of seed capital from impact investor Insitor Impact.
23/02/23
Ten finalists announced for agri-focused Challenge App Afrique
Ten finalists have been invited to compete for the final EUR 15,000 (USD 16,000) prize of the seventh edition of the Challenge App Afrique, a competition that aims to support innovative digital solutions for sustainable agriculture in Francophone Africa. Finalists come from Tunisia, Morocco, Benin, DRC, Cameroon and Rwanda, and their solutions range from a mobile app providing agricultural advice to small farmers to a platform connecting forest gatherers and traders. The competition is organised by France Médias Monde, owner of TV network France 24.