Vaya Digital Farmer helping boost agriculture, creating a one-stop-shop for farmers
AS technology changes in agriculture in Zimbabwe, EcoCash Holdings Zimbabwe Limited’s Vaya Digital Farmer (VDF) is at the heart of that transformation.
The digital platform has over the past few years improved productivity, revenue and resilience for both small-scale and large-scale farmers in the country by connecting them to information, inputs, equipment, credit and buyers.
With the 2022/23 farming season fast approaching, and at a time when thousands of farmers have lost their cattle to Theileriosis (popularly known as January Disease), VDF is urging farmers to utilise its platform to secure tractors for land tillage.
EcoCash
“We understand that some farmers across the country’s 10 provinces have lost cattle to various diseases, adversely affecting draft power for land preparation.
“However, this setback does not have to affect agricultural output. We, at Vaya Digital Farmer, provide access to mechanisation field services on our platform — accessible throughout all the provinces in Zimbabwe,” the company said.
According to the Veterinary Department Services, Zimbabwe lost about 15 328 cattle to tick-borne diseases between 2014 and 2020, resulting in huge economic losses in cattle assets and farm savings in the country.
The VDF platform has the necessary components to help farmers increase efficiencies and boost productivity on farms by providing farmers with access to tilling equipment, field extension services, market linkages, soil testing and joint venture services through a mobile application.
In the past year, VDF serviced over 7 400 hectares of land belonging to commercial farmers, corporate entities and smallholder farmers with services that include land preparation, planting, spraying and harvesting.
The platform has been offering digital and technology driven services to improve productivity and efficiencies in the local agriculture value chain.
Department of Veterinary Services
It has been helping farmers access much-needed agronomy extension services on site, through their mobile phone devices, right at their farms and areas of operation — saving them travel and other logistical costs.
“Our end-to-end digital agricultural services offer farmers a wide range of tailored services, including access to markets, de-risking through insurance, extension services, access to inputs, as well as ancillary services through digital platforms.
“The platform aggregates key value chain players and stakeholders, creating a powerful agricultural ecosystem designed to transform the sector and improve the livelihoods of farmers,” added the company.
VDF also provided farmers on the platform access to financial loans from Steward Bank, along with short-term insurance products from Moovah.
It is planning to soon introduce Agro-insurance and Life-insurance for the farming community.
Vaya Digital Farmer intends to be a one stop shop solution in the agriculture value chain offering -ebusinessweekly
