Farmerline Technology Platform Empowers Farmers

MORE than 2 000 smallholder farmers and fishermen are benefiting from THE web-based mobile communication service offered by Farmerline.

The Director of Business Development of Farmerline, Worlali Senyo, who disclosed this to ItNewsGhana.com in Accra, noted that currently, 1 000 subsistence farmers from northern Ghana, and 1000 fishermen in southern parts of the country were using the platform in the country.

He explained that the agro-industry content provider and its partners work with Farmer-based Organisations and nongovernmental organsations to provide improved information access and better communication service to smallholder farmers, fishermen and agric workers using any mobile phone in their local languages.

“Through the platform, agric workers send messages such as weather forecast alert, market prices, new farming techniques, agrochemical applications, and inputs, and finance to farmers and fishermen at a subsidise fee,” Senyo added.

It also provides the option to collect data from farmers and fishermen, and also enables them to call into the system for advice.

“Our deep understanding of the challenges farmers face and the commitment to user-centric designs helps us to develop solutions to empower the farming communities,” said Senyo.

Farmerline's platform enables farmers to receive messages through voice in all local languages and SMS anywhere in the world.

Senyo said the company's long-term vision for Africa was to provide paid services that allow farmers to have key information to drive their operations.

“While our mission is to increase agricultural information flow, uptake, and accountability in the services delivered to farmers and empower agricultural workers and actors along the value chain to collect and share information to drive food security,” he emphasised.