The MFarms Platform: A Business Solution For Agriculture

mFarms is an integrated and customizable ICT platform designed to help stakeholder in agricultural value chain communicate with each other efficiently, establish and maintain business relationships and manage the flow of goods and services among them. It is designed to create operational efficiencies by allowing organizations, associations and identifiable groups to serve a large number of their members or affiliates dispersed over space. The platform consists of mobile applications (java and android and web applications). Among others, the platform has the following capabilities: production and purchase planning; verification of adherence to production techniques and schedules; broadcasting alerts and extension messages through text messages and interactive voice response services; estimation of production cost.

To facilitate effective linkages among value chain actors, mFarms operates on a database structured to hold complete profiles, including geo-referenced locations  and cell phone contacts of each category of user or service. One of the capabilities of the platform is the ability to synchronize with modules developed on this platform using APIs. With a search and query facility, users will find the locations of farmers, buyers, input dealers, warehouses, haulage companies and sources of credit and other service providers and develop business relations with ease. Any identifiable group with its network of suppliers and clients dispersed over a large area will find the platform very useful in reducing transaction cost in terms of money and time thus increasing margins on their operations.