Capture

Millions of African farmers are unable to fully take advantage of digital agriculture to address decades-long twin challenges of productivity and better livelihood. This can be attributed to their lack of real-time access to data-driven agronomic advice. They often rely on other experienced farmers, NGOs, or public officials, who are not readily available. The absence of timely data / insights with the correct economic incentives prevents a majorly smallholder farmers from farming themselves out of poverty, directly impacting their households and perpetuating poverty.

Although available data shows increasing food output on the African continent in the past few years, this comes at the cost of tree felling to make room for more farmlands instead of exploring the more sustainable approach by increasing yield productivity.

Some of the other cited for Africa's low yields include over-cultivation and mono-cropping on the soil without crop rotation that may have led to severe soil damage. However, the primary cause is a widespread use of legacy farming practice that is not backed by data. This is further compounded by farmer’s lack of resilience to climate change.

I know this personally because I come from a farming background, and I have watched as neighbours from my home village and countless other farmers across the continent have struggled to make ends meet.

A mobile app, Capture, that enables farmers to uplift themselves by increasing their capacity to access and apply data in their decision making on the farm at different critical stages of the farming season. To generate these farm-specific data, there's an in-built feature for mapping the farm (without internet) and calculating the size (in ha) before it is uploaded to a web server.

From there, the uploaded shape file is used to fetch Earth observation data, climate data, and agronomic data in order to predict or generate essential crop and soil information about that farm. As at the time of the processing, the system takes into account if the farm is pre-planting, planting, or post-planting stage; this helps it determine when to employ BBCH-scale for advice calibration.

One of the important features of Capture is soil information prediction, particularly the carbon content. Carbon plays an important role in determining the availability and efficiency of other soil properties; as a result, it plays a critical role in crop productivity. In another vein, and with the right strategy, it can help with maintaining Earth's carbon stock in our collective fight against climate change.

African holds a significant land footprint which is most used for agriculture. Increasing farmer awareness and adoption of organic farming as both an economic and environmental win is one of the primary goals of our solution. While Capture helps measure the amount of carbon in the soil, we simultaneously promote the use of biochar and organic manure to help close the gap. Next step is to partner with organisations that certify and sell the carbon stocked by this sustainable farming practice.

There are over 500 million smallholder farmers in Africa who are facing the challenge of declining crop productivity and income. To achieve increased crop productivity, it will be critical to invest in the productivity of smallholder farmers. For example, around 88% of Nigeria’s farmers (roughly 38 million) are smallholders, defined by FAO (2020) as farmers with less than 10 hectares of land. At first, we targeted the smallest farmers who manage less than 1 hectare of land, which is 43% of the Nigerian market. In the medium term (currently), we are expanding to farmers managing 1 to 2 hectares, who constitute 21% of Nigeria’s market.

These farmers are often located in rural areas with poor access. To overcome this issue, we are leveraging mobile phone networks, which have scaled rapidly in Nigeria in recent years. Mobile phone penetration has now reached 94%, creating an enabling environment for Capture which is based on digital connectivity and mobile technology.

Rural Farmers Hub was founded by Gabriel Eze, an engineer and innovation manager, and his long-term friend Segun Adegun with experience in international development. Gabriel come from a farming background and was inspired to start the company after witnessing persistently low crop yields in his home villages. We have formed a team of 10 that is a mix of academic, business, and technical expertise spanning over 30 years, enabling us to design and deliver products tailored to the needs of farmers.

Our main office is located in Abuja, which is 3-5 hours to the farming communities we serve. To further deepen our engagement and connection with the community, we have a network of extension agents (200 and counting) who support the farmers with training and technical support.

We have completed several pilots to test our solution with ~200 farmers in 2019 and up to 10,000 farmers in 2022. Our service coverage has expanded to over 30,000 farmers across 10 states in Nigeria and a few African countries. Our work has been recognised by AGRA through GenerationAfrica Fellowship, Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, Cornell University’s Department of Global Development, and others.

We have been trusted to deliver development work in Nigeria by GIZ through Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI) and Green Innovation Center; US Action for International Development through Mercy Corps' Rural Resilience Activity; Save the Children International; Sasakawa Africa Association, and others.

We are proudly backed by Katapult Africa, Founders Factory Africa, Startupbootcamp Afritech, and others. We've received support from Heifer Foundation, Shell Foundation x Seedstars Foundation, and Airbus BizLab, Ventures for Africa, Ventures Park, and others

Through a private sector drive cooperation, we enjoy strong relationships with Continent Fertiliser, Hello Tractor, Intellecap, MooMe, and many others.

Having participated in a Heifer-funded program, I've been exposed to the quality of mentorship and support one can get from the your partner ecosystem. It was the tip of the iceberg and I want more. In fact, I am applying on the back of strong recommendation from some of the facilitators we've had so far. I believe in the power of the knowledge I can gain from further immersion in the main program and how that can help transform my impact journey in Nigeria and other African countries we have interest in.

Capture uniquely layers Earth observation data on BBCH-scale, enabling it to generate crop and soil advice that are specific to each phase of crop production. Unlike our competitors, we integrate various data points (nutrient level, irrigation levels, climate status, etc) through remote sensing, enabling us to provide real-time and personalised advice while remaining affordable to smallholder farmers (especially compared to potential yield increases).

We further distinguish our offering by being extension first, other services second. This contrasts with some competitors, who are product/service first, extension second. On top of that, we are able to provide extension service through technology-based platform, another competitive advantage.

Inputs

• Satellite data

• Climate data

• Agronomic data

• A network of local extension agent

Activities

• Algorithms combine and process the data to generate tailored advice in near realtime.

• Advice sent to farmers via app or SMS.

• Extension agent visit/call farmers to ensure they understand and implement advice

Outputs

• Increase in yield productivity

• Reduction in cost of production

• Reduction in rate of replanting

• Reduction in loss of crops due to unnatural factors

Outcomes

• Increase in farmers’ income

• Better understanding and appreciation of technical skills in farming

• Integration of farmers’ into a wide agri-services network

Impact

• Better quality of farmer job

• Increased food security.

• Increased resilience to climate change.

• Increase youth employment in agriculture.

To help smallholder farmers increase their income by

• boosting their yields productivity, 
• reducing their cost of production through input optimisation, 
• creating new income stream for them through carbon market, and
• increased adoption of technical knowledge by farmers.

We measure this impact by surveys and continuous training of farmers. This is carried out by a network of extension agents

At the heart of our solution is a powerful integration platform that seamlessly connects user-friendly mobile apps with robust data processing software. This combined approach allows us to leverage the accessibility of apps and the security of SMS/OTP authentication for user interaction. The processed data is then analysed by advanced AI algorithms, enabling us to provide predictive insights.

This integrated approach offers several advantages. Users benefit from a convenient and familiar interface through the app, while SMS ensures secure authentication. The powerful data processing engine allows us to handle large amounts of information (including Earth observation data) efficiently, and the AI layer unlocks valuable predictive insights that wouldn't be possible with standalone technologies.

Full-time: 5

Part-time: 3

Contractor: 2

Extension agents (contract): 200+

Since 2018 (5+ years)

Rural Farmers Hub has a clear management structure, with well-defined roles and responsibilities for those in leadership positions. Part of this structure are policies to cater for inclusion and diversity without discrimination. For example, we ensure to have fair representation across different levels: from management to field operations. We have up-to-date policies and procedures. These are reviewed and updated regularly. Members understand and can articulate them and are informed about reviews and updates.

Our key customers and beneficiaries are small-scale farmers with limited resources and access to traditional agricultural support systems. By supporting them, we indirectly benefit rural communities through increased food security and economic growth. In order to actualise our impact, we have the following pricing tiers:

• Free: Provides basic features like crop health monitoring, weather forecasts, and access to educational resources.
• Subscription plans (Monthly & Annual): Provides additional features with advanced insights

We have introduced carbon credits as part of our business model, providing farmers with opportunities to earn additional income by implementing sustainable practices that sequester carbon.

In the future and in collaboration with partners, we plan to offer access to small loans to help farmers invest in their operations and grow their businesses; index insurance to mitigate financial risks associated with climate change; implement in-farm sensor technology among others.

Farmers access services through a user-friendly mobile app or web platform. There, farmers can choose the subscription plan that best suits their needs, with the option to upgrade or downgrade as required. For farmers without smartphone, we leverage network of partners, collaborating with local agricultural experts and organisations to deliver on-the-ground support and training to farmers.

We do this because smallholder farmers often lack access to information, resources, and technology, leading to low productivity and income. RFH bridges this gap by providing:

Here's a summary of our financial model:

• Subscription fees as defined above to generate recurring revenue.
• Pay-As-You-Us allows for certain advanced features to be offered within the free tier for as low as $0.1.
• Commission-based revenue through partnerships on sales facilitated through the platform.
• Carbon credit trading

On profitability and scalability, the low-cost, digital nature of the business model allows for high gross margins and strong net profit margins (up to 40%). The digital platform can be easily scaled to reach a large number of farmers with minimal additional cost. Our financial incentives are tied in lockstep with impact on users and beneficiaries.

We have been earning revenue from B2B2C models since 2019 to support our operations. Between 2019 and 2022, revenue was growing at about 1,000% year-on-year. In 2023, we had raised pre-seed funding of $500K to further execute our vision for a more food-secure Africa and better livelihood for African farmers. Funders are Katapult, ASIP Holding (through Startupbootcamp Africa) and Founders Factory Africa. Our success will continue to depend on our ability to grow revenue as well as close follow-on funding in the future.