Five young people have created an app that brings together all the players in the agricultural business on the same platform. Producers, distributors, retailers and consumers can interact directly on AgronetMoz and thus build bridges and discover new opportunities in the value chain of one of Mozambique’s most promising business sectors.
AgronetMoz is an application designed by five young people who took part three months ago in an application development competition and marathon (Hack4Moz) organised by the National Geospatial Development Agency (ADE). They won by presenting a solution that responds to various challenges in the agricultural sector. “We thought of an idea that could encompass the entire value chain because, in fact, that’s what agriculture needs: the world is speeding up and we all need technology to do almost everything,” explains team member Sheila Badru to E&M. Badru has a degree in Agronomy and has always seen the farmer at a disadvantage when it comes to commercialising his products. “He’s in the field, he has to produce and, at the same time, think about where he’s going to get raw materials or consumables, where and how he’s going to sell the harvest. In the end, he loses out. That’s because the agrodealers,” traders or resellers of agricultural products, “dictate the rules. There is no fair trade, especially for those who are producing”.
How does the application work?
The AgronetMoz app wants everyone to have access to what they need in good time. So each element of the value chain (producers, distributors, retailers and consumers) registers on the app and makes their products or services available. If the producer needs raw materials, he can access suppliers within AgronetMoz and also choose how he wants to receive them, i.e. the means of transport that will take the product to him. In the same way, the end consumer or customer has access to the products available on the market, the prices and can request a means of transport by paying a certain fee charged within the app itself.
An app that doesn’t need a smartphone
Another interesting aspect of AgronetMoz is that it doesn’t require smartphones. “Most producers don’t have access to these devices. They use simple phones,” without touchscreens and with only numeric keys. “How can we incorporate this population? Through USSD,” a messaging service that only requires people to send codes or choose options to access services. “And so they can have access to AgronetMz,” explained Luís Mucavele, another member of the group.
The platform also has an alert system for temperature changes, traffic conditions (for transporters) and possible pests and plant diseases. The application was developed with the aim of being inclusive. However, for security reasons, certain documents will be required in the subscription process and an (unspecified) fee will be charged to guarantee the platform’s sustainability.
By: Ana Mangana – Photo: Mariano Silva & D.R
