PocketFarm

Rural farmers in Nigeria are facing alot of difficulties accessing the 
local and international markets with considerable prices for their 
agricultural products that could help them reduce poverty. They 
rarely find buyers and they have little or no power to negotiate terms 
and better their quality.

PocketFarm converts the way people buy agricultural goods & services  to buying and selling in the virtual world. We blur the distinction between the physical world and the virtual world, as electronic presence of people, places and products become a common place. Eventually the movement of people, paper and products within an agricultural farm are replaced with IT Internet representations. Both small and large farms are opened to the same resources so the size of the farming plant does not matter.

PocketFarm has the potential to address several challenges constraining the performance of smallholder farmers by creating new links between participants along the agricultural value chain. The benefits include:
1) Waste reduction: PocketFarm services can reduce post-harvest waste by minimizing the number of intermediaries farmers needed to improve access to more efficient transportation which reduces the time it takes for produce to reach consumers. 

2)Financial inclusion: PocketFarm stores transaction records, they may offer farmers an opportunity to build a “digital history” that could assist them to demonstrate farmers’ creditworthiness to financial service providers. 

3)Improved cost and market efficiency: PocketFarm will serve as an incentive for farmers to increase their on-farm investments and productivity.

4)Overcoming information asymmetries: There is some evidence that mobile phones improve farmers’ access to information with potentially positive implications for their incomes.

Our team is made up of people with developed communication skills, mastered art of negotiation, influence, conflict management etc. 

We are the right team because we have a combined experience and training of years in agribusiness, entrepreneurial management, technology management, procurement, development finance, customer 
service, e-business, accounting, finance, strategy, risk management, governance and sustainability consulting among others. We share a high level of passion for agriculture and food security on the 
continent of Africa.

Our solution is prototype because we have an interactive mockup oo the solution already. 

N/A presently

1.As a start up with limited resources, technology investments is restrained. 

2. Choosing the right team, structure and culture that will enable the business achieve her intended goals.

3. Online/Cyber security and risks.

We tackle the SDG goals of zero hunger and no poverty.

We increase access to better nutrition and food security. 

Fights poverty and illiteracy by increasing disposable income of smallholder and rural farmers who account for almost half of Nigeria's population.

Overcoming information asymmetries: There is some evidence that mobile phones improve farmers’ access to information with potentially positive implications for their incomes.

Improved cost and market efficiency: PocketFarm will serve as an incentive for farmers to increase their on-farm investments and productivity.

Financial inclusion: PocketFarm stores transaction records, they may offer farmers an opportunity to build a “digital history” that could assist them to demonstrate farmers’ creditworthiness to financial service providers. 

Waste reduction: PocketFarm services can reduce post-harvest waste by minimizing the number of intermediaries farmers needed to improve access to more efficient transportation which reduces the time it takes for produce to reach consumers. 

We are currently in talks with website & App design company to build our web and mobile application.

We also have a database of smallholder farmers in Osun and Ekiti states, our primary target market to begin with.

Poor access to markets by these rural farmers is attributed by poor  road infrastructure, lack of transporting means, and broadly by lack of  agricultural market imformatiom. Due to lack of market information  such as price of produce at the markets, quality and quantity of  produces required at the markets, Small holder farmers negotiate on  prices of their prduce based on the information provided by traders.  These factors significantly reduce the bargaining power of rural  farmers and thus promote development of uncompetitive markets. It  is envisaged that if rural farmers get a fair share of their produce, they  can shift from subsistence farming and consider agriculture as their  main economic activity.

When it comes to the mobile commerce sector, it’s less about human-like robotics and more about the learning technologies and algorithms that provide the foundation. Artificial Intelligence and machine learning will help our online store deliver an optimized customer experience on and off the websites and mobile apps by using collected business and customer data to make better business decisions. Using AI can help create a more efficient sales process by gathering data about our customers, automate follow-up abandoned cart inquiries, and more and will also move customers through the funnel by having them engage with chatbots for simple questions.

Charging $10/Month ($120/Annum)
as Membership Subscription Fee.
Value-Adding services i. e Artificial intelligence powered chatbots to provide advice & 
recommendation for farmers. 
  Commission from transactions on input and services.

Go-To-Market Strategies
Outsource marketing and digital marketing functions to reputable digital firm with clear deliverables.
Walk the audience through benefits of being a member of the platform.
Leveraging on events with our target market as audience. 
Creating online presence through social media pages.