Nigerian agri-tech startup Alosfarm has begun beta testing its new big data system and platform with selected users, and expects a full-fledged rollout before the end of the year.
Disrupt Africa reported earlier this year on the launch of Alosfarm, which connects smallholder farmers directly with buyers and aims to redefine the way food is produced, distributed and consumed in Africa, starting with Nigeria.
The startup has announced it is beta testing Datafarm, a big data solution aimed at developing an independent, unbiased and objective farmer-driven information source that gives those in the agricultural sector real-time facts on raw performance.
“The goal is to connect all farmers in Nigeria to the information they require. We think that every farmer deserves equal access to information and that if they, the farmers, could get real information and share their agronomic precision data with one another, they could all make better decisions on seeds and agronomics,” Alosfarm said.
The startup said small-scale farmers were highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and face many challenges including lack of access to traditional markets, information, agricultural inputs and finance.
Datafarm will provide objective information on seeds, fertility and soils. Alosfarm said as each new farmer joins the Datafarm network online or via SMS, every member’s seed information, agronomic analytics and buying power gets stronger.
