Four agric-tech start-ups have emerged from Kenya and Rwanda – East Africa as well as West Africa – Ghana and Nigeria to embark on an all expense paid trip to Meet The Farmers Conference Dubai to compete for US$5,000 grand prize and meet potential investors at the Innov8Agric Challenge. The event which is scheduled to hold at the “H” Hotel, Dubai on 4th -5th November.
The ‘Innov8Agric Challenge’ is a key initiative of the Meet The Farmers Conference (MTFC) set up to promote innovative ideas for Agritech start-ups from all sectors of the ecosystem using creative and modern methods to change the landscape of the agriculture value chain in Africa.
Ahead of the event, the organizer: Crenov8 Consulting called for applications from agric-tech start-ups looking to get funding opportunity, and investment opportunities from African and GCC investors.
Four start-ups: Qualitrace (Ghana), AgriQ & Automations (Kenya), Spiderbit (Rwanda) and Smart Farms (Nigeria) all won the regional pitch competitions and will over the next few days be pitching at the Grand Finale during the Meet the Farmers Conference in Dubai.
Here’s a run down of the StartUps and how they are solving key challenges in the agriculture value chain:
Qualitrace: is an Agri-Tech start-up that uses track and trace technology to authenticate agricultural product inputs and outputs. It also provides a clear simple means by which players in any given supply chain can trace products along the till the final consumer also independently verifies the source and quality of the product.
QualiTrace work together with major stakeholders in the Agriculture ecosystem to reduce the high influx of counterfeit agro-inputs like fertilizers, seeds and crop protection products.
AgriQ & Automations: it aims to reduce post-harvest losses in Africa which is estimated at 45% of the produce harvested. They tend to achieve this by providing affordable and efficient cold storage solution to smallholder farmers to extend the shelf-life of their horticultural produce thus improving food security in the continent and increasing the farmers income.
Spiderbit: is a technology firm that designs and builds custom software solutions specializing in different sectors of Agribusiness including:
- a) Food market place, which enables the farmer to sell their produce using the platform and also providing flexibility to buyers to locate crops on market.
- b) Bringing service providers (seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, vet services) closer to the farmers. The platform enables Farmers and countryside agro-dealers can order for inputs from main city, purchased and shipped to their area pickup points.
Smart Farms: They provide commercial farming hub where busy professionals and beginning farmers can get access to land, modern farming facilities, professional management and market so they generate income from a passive investment which does not distract them from their regular jobs. This start-up provides a co-working space for farming where mechanization, ICT tools, Irrigation facilities are accessible and affordable to maximize productivity.
Meet The Farmers Conference is an initiative of Crenov8, a leading conglomerate consulting & Digital Media firm in the Middle East, Dubai, and Africa.
More on TechGist Africa
- Smart Farms Wins Nigeria Innov8Agric Challenge, to Compete with Other Start-ups for $5,000
- Spiderbit Wins Innov8Agric Challenge, Rwanda
- Kenyan Agric-Tech Start-up, AgriQ & Automations Wins Kenya Innov8Agric Challenge
- Ghanaian Agric Startup, Qualitrace Wins Ghana Innov8Agric Challenge
- Meet the Farmers Conference Nigeria tagged ‘’The Future of Agribusiness’’ held in Lagos
