SMS for Better Farming

Nowadays investors are increasingly searching for opportunities that not only represent the risk/return profile they seek, but also give them the chance to fund meaningful impact. One of many ways so-called impact investors find out about new social impact ventures is the Google Impact Challenge. Every year, a few winning projects are selected, sometimes focusing on certain countries or regions (e.g. Nigeria or the Bay Area), certain technology areas (e.g. Artificial Intelligence), or tackling specific issues, such as hate and extremism. The winners are awarded between $200.000 and $500.000 in seed capital, and, just as importantly, given a platform to gain visibility and start further rounds of investment.

A study by the Global e-Sustainability Initiative has shown that agriculture is one of the areas where digital innovations hold the greatest potential in terms of CO2 abatement potential. That is why today I decided to write about WeFarm, one of the winners of the UK edition of 2014 of the Google Impact Challenge. WeFarm is the world's largest farmer-to-farmer digital network, powered through artificial intelligence and machine learning. Their goal is to connect farmers around the world to create a network where they can share knowledge about crops, livestock, and any other areas.

As a user, you can write an SMS to the platform which is analyzed by machine learning technology and matched to relevant farmers based on the message's content and language. The best responses are selected by an algorithm according to responder experience and history and sent via SMS to the farmer who asked a question. Having simple mobile phones as their end-devices enables access to WeFarm also to those living in areas with low data coverage and extends the range of users beyond those owning a smartphone. By now, almost 2 million farmers in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have joined, asking 4.6 million questions and receiving 10.6 million answers. Additionally, WeFarm works in English and three African languages (Kiswahili, Runyankore and Luganda). Again, this gives also farmers without English proficiency the opportunity to ask questions to thousands of peers speaking his or her language.

I found WeFarm a particularly good example of a digital innovation helping farmers use resources more efficiently because its SMS service and local language feature shows it is built around the needs of its target group: small African farmers. By being connected, WeFarm has given users access to the knowledge and experience of millions of other farmers they would have never had the chance meet. Today, WeFarm has moved from the seed stage and has received millions of dollars in funding by various venture capitalists.