Vodafone Partnership Enables 30,000 Tanzanian Farmers with Mobile Services

Vodafone has announced that it will be providing 30,000 Tanzanian farmers with targeted mobile services as part of the first commercial agreement with the Connected Farmer Alliance (CFA), a public-private partnership between Vodafone Group, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and not-for-profit organisation, TechnoServe.

The deployment of services including farming advice via text message, notifications about upcoming training sessions and market price information in real-time have been set up to enhance productivity and subsequently revenue among thousands of low-income smallholder farmers in Tanzania.

Perhaps the most significant service being offered includes the introduction of mobile money transfer using Vodafone’s M-Pesa service in place of cash from the end of 2014, allowing farmers greater control over their finances and enhancing security.

Around 30,000 of Olam’s coffee, cotton and cocoa smallholder farmers in Tanzania will stand to benefit as a result of the agreement between the CFA, agribusiness, Olam International and Vodacom Tanzania.

"Mobile communications offer major opportunities to advance human development – from providing access to education and health information to helping boost productivity in the agriculture sector,” said Vodafone Group Regional CEO, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific Region, Serpil Timuray.

“In this case, mobile services are being used to enhance farmers’ lives and transform business performance at all points of the agricultural value chain.”

The agreement will lead to increased productivity and revenues for smallholding farmers supplying cash crops to Olam, while a mobile-enabled supply chain will also bring Olam benefits such as transaction security, enhanced communications, and improved business efficiency.

“These partnerships have a powerful effect in helping rural communities develop new skills and grow revenues. Vodafone is committed to using its technology to help improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers around the world.”