In Uganda, we’re piloting the OneFarm Agri Platform, working with farmers and cooperatives to help them ensure a successful and profitable maize crop. Five cooperatives, 350 farmers, a maize aggregator and a local tech start-up have partnered with us for the pilot. The farms have been GPS-mapped and validated by satellite. Standard Bank has allocated a credit risk limit to each farmer, based on their verified farm size. Sixteen local agents, chosen from the various cooperatives, have received training and smartphones, and are employed to do farmer profiling, manage input distribution and support the farmers. The bank has financed high quality seed and fertilizer, and access to tractor time, for distribution to the farmers. The team has also employed an agronomist to provide training on best practices to the farmers and manage demo farms. We’ve developed monitoring dashboards for each farm, integrating the satellite data. These dashboards ensure potential threats, such as pests and disease, can be detected at an early stage, enabling a quick response and maximising the proportion of the crop that can be successfully harvested. The bank is also working with the farmers to help them access markets/off-takers for their crops, ensuring that they receive a fair price for their produce. Early indications show that the increased access to working capital has enabled farmers to plant additional fields, while access to tractor time has made it easier to cultivate the larger area. Farmers have increased their capacity significantly as a result of this initiative.

In Zambia, we’re helping local farmers keep better track of their crops, make more informed decisions, and engage more effectively with the financing partners, through a digital satellite application. The web- and mobile-based Contour app, developed in partnership with Origin Enterprises Plc (trading under RHIZA), uses agricultural satellite imaging and analysis to give farmers satellite data, crop growth models, soil analysis mapping, independent fertilizer recommendations and weather data. The app is affordable, working out at about USD5.50 per hectare. Farmers can pick the pricing plan which suits their farm, and those who get the app through Stanbic Bank receive it for half price. The information, which is accurate and secure, enables farmers to keep better track of their crops and make more informed decisions, helping them to improve planning, decision making and responsiveness, save money and improve their yields. The bank also benefits, as we can monitor what is happening on the ground, and use this insight to tailor our services according to each farms’ needs.