Farm Concern International
E-Warehouse a turnaround to
facilitating Access to Markets
and Finance for Smallholder
Farmers
Grace Ruto
Associate Director DMEC
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Farm Concern International, FCI.
 An Africa wide development organization that
builds Sustainable Economic Development
focused on Markets and production systems
 Pro-poor models benchmarked to private sector
approaches
to
enhance
smallholder
competitiveness
 Approach development through strategic value
network partnerships across varied value chains
 Appropriate technologies innovations
enhance smallholder competitiveness
resilience
Winning Markets for smallholders!
that
and
Our Mission
To build and Implement innovative
pro-poor market and Business
Models that catalyse solutions for
smallholder commercialization
and Competitiveness in the value
networks for household economic
growth and Community
empowerment in Africa and
Beyond
Our Vision
Commercialized smallholder
Communities with increased
incomes for improved,
stabilized and sustainable
livelihoods in Africa and
Beyond
Winning Markets for smallholders!
The Commercial Villages Model
•
The Commercial Villages
Model is a hybrid model
through which typical social
administrative villages are
systematically evolved into
commercialized
competitive
market-led
agricultural
production units.
• The
model
promotes
collective proactive action that
is market led responding to
customer needs
Learning Centres
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Typical village: Scattered production system with minimal
Collective Action
20
Km
3 bags
25
Km
35 Km
1.5 bags
4 bags
250 Km
11 bags
440 Km
33 Km
17 Km
55 Km
6 bags
12 bags
Winning Markets for smallholders!
15 bags
Commercial Villages are Efficient trading blocks
Communities are
organized based on
neighborliness
200 Km
• Organized production
systems
• Structured
governance
• Business partnership
with buyers
• Information exchange
platform established
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Commercial Villages interaction with other Value Chains
players interaction
Participation
in CVs
Pooling
Resources
Training &
Input suppliers
Seeds, Fertilizers,
Agro-chemicals,
Packaging materials
Exports Markets
Extension services
Information
Participatory
Market Chain
Approach
Market based
Support
Services
Domestic
Markets
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Regional Markets
E-warehousing objectives
• Increase the value retained by smallholder farmers for
their crop by facilitating access to mobile financial
services, allowing for consumption smoothing while
farmers store their grain and wait for a better price;
• Build capacity of smallholder farmers in proper
post‐harvest storage practice to minimize risk of
post‐harvest waste;
• Leverage technology to provide actionable agronomic
and market information to farmers;
• Enable farmers to collectively store and sell grains at
higher prices through use and development of
appropriate technology;
• Use the pilot phase to develop a proof of concept and
sustainable, scalable business plan to expand the
model more broadly.
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Key Project Achievements
• Establishment of 30 Commercial Villages with 10,000 farmers
reached
• Participatory selection and training of 30 VKWs on mobile
technology in data capture and dissemination of agricultural
information
• Training of 30 CVs on post harvest handling & quality control,
commercialization and market development,
• Aggregation of an average of 251MT/month of grains for
collective marketing
• Grain markets have been profiled and 21 informal and formal
buyers have been linked to the Commercial Villages
• SMEP has opened 313 savings accounts with e-Warehouse
farmers & advanced loans
• Commercial Villages have been linked to 14 Agro input
Companies where farmers have been able to purchased farm
inputs (certified seeds, fertilizers & chemicals) at a discounted
rate as result of collecting sourcing of inputs.
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Technology Development
• E-Warehouse (a web-based database) that houses;
• Bio-data on the individual farmers enlisted
• Production information on quantity, quality and
estimated value of grain stored for credit decisions
• E-Warehouse Surveys – monitoring field changes
&Market information – pricing, buyer contacts &
profiles
• Training modules on best practices
• SMS functionality to transmit text messages to
participating farmers (information include confirmation of grain storage
amount and estimated value, confirmation of loan amount released and
repayment expected, confirmation of final sale and amount of final balance, and
weekly market feed updates on value of grain stored for farmers that subscribe)
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Village Knowledge Workers
(VKW)
• Trained on production, commercialization & market development
• Offer onsite Technical support to Commercial Villages
• Equipped with training Kits – Mobile platforms, Moisture metres, Aflatoxin
kits etc
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Commercial Village Stores
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Commercial Village Stores
Winning Markets for smallholders!
One on One Support!
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Financial Services
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Commercial Village E-warehousing Programme Process Map
Business Partnership Platforms
•Commercial Village - Buyers
Forums
•Commercial Villages industrial
and market Visits
•Village to Village Forums
Capacity Building (VKW)
●Leadership & Governance Training
● Village Governance and Structuring
● Technical Services Provision on Processing
•Commercial Village action & business planning
● Market, Business Skills and Business partnership
●Technology & ICT
INPUTS
Households
(HH)
Commercial
Producer Groups
(CPG)
Traditional
markets
Commercial
Village (CV)
Commercial
Villages
Action Plans
Mobile Chipper
Seed
Multiplier
s
Food for
household
utilization
OUTCOMES
•Food & Nutrition
Security
•Household Incomes
Consumer Markets
Commercial
Village bulking
Unit
Commercial
Village Stores
Food Processors
compnaies
Supermarkets
Distribution
Companies
Retailers
Regional Markets
Commercial Village
Savings Scheme and
Village
Investments
Winning
Markets
for
Sustainable Business
Partnerships and Enhanced
smallholders!Trade
Clarion Call
Winning Markets
for
smallholders!!!
Thank You!
Winning Markets for smallholders!
Winning Markets for the