AgriShare: Shared tractor - increased yield
How an app brings together needs and offers of farmers
John Semanda is a farmer living in the village of Kabakedi in Uganda. He used to husk his corn in the traditional way. This involves putting the corn into a bag and beating it with a stick to remove the husk. However, traditional shelling causes great losses, because the seeds are often damaged in the process, also it is very labor-intensive and therefore time-consuming.
AgriShare The AgriShare app helps farmers connect. For more information, visit the AgriShare website.
AgriShare networks, creates transparency and provides security
Tomasi Kasasa recently bought a corn sheller with the aim of earning an income by renting it out. But he lacked customers. He heard about AgriShare and started using the smartphone app. That is how Tomasi and John found each other. Since then, Tomasi generates more income and uses the money to feed his family, and John can get his corn shelled faster and without losses. Tomasi says the corn shelling machines reduce the time needed and also protect the corn from damage in the process. AgriShare allows him to compare the prices of different corn shelling machine operators and be assured of the quality of the services.
One platform for all - connecting supply and demand
And that is precisely the goal of the smartphone app AgriShare. Smallholder families and farms can connect with each other to share resources and services. For decades, smallholder farmers in Africa and Asia have had little access to important equipment and services to improve their productivity, yields, and value-added opportunities. Few private and public services are available to farming communities for the loan of materials. The gap between supply and demand is large. Nevertheless, among those who own and rent equipment, the level of underutilization is very high because often farmers and service providers do not know about each other.
First Zimbabwe, now also Uganda
AgriShare has been on the market since March 2019, first in Zimbabwe, now also in Uganda. From the beginning, the app was designed in close collaboration with potential users. With the help of user tests, AgriShare is constantly being optimized and further developed. The app has already received recognition outside of Welthungerhilfe: at the WFP Innovation Pitch Night, AgriShare won the jury award.
Like many apps, AgriShare works via a smartphone and mobile data. Farmers therefore do not need their own assets to connect with commercial or private rental services. This is not only how John and Tomasi found each other. Just like them, many other users of the app in Uganda and Zimbabwe also benefit.
