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Farmers & Markets Systems Platform
eKijiji is the brand name for e-Commercial Villages Model through which Commercial Villages network in Africa. The model is being digitized systematically into a live vibrant platform that virtually brings together farmers, traders and partners focusing on.
Information Sharing| Decision Support | Trading
eKijiji.global is a business ecosystem for domestic, cross-border and international trade partnership platform through private sector as buyer companies, wholesale distributors and service providers for sustainable investment with farmers and Agro-SMEs.
FCI as a private sector business partner facilitates supply chain and rural distribution systems while systematically building capacity of farmer organizations, SMEs and business associations to respond to markets optimizing digital solutions through a cost-share model for scale up.
About eKijiji
The eKijiji is a Farm Concern International, FCI platform for digitization of the Commercial Villages Model based on the following parameters targeting farmer organizations, Agro-enterprises for sustainability.
Commercial Villages Model has been tested, implemented and upgraded since 2004 as an innovative integrated business model, designed and developed by FCI. The model is contextualized to Africa’s food distribution & agri-marketing systems. The model focuses on a multi- value chain commercialization approach for food, nutrition, climate adaptation and markets. A Commercial Villages farmer organization comprises of 250-500 farming households clustered into Commercial Zones (CoZos) of 10,000 smallholder farmers for collective mass marketing targeting input/output trade.
eKijiji is a Farm Concern International, FCI platform for digitization & scale-up of the Commercial Villages Model interventions based on the following ongoing directly implemented activities for smallholder farmers, aggregation centres, farmer organizations (FOs) and Agro-enterprises for sustainability.“
"Kijiji” is a Swahili word meaning Village
eKijiji is leveraging on the ongoing partnerships between Commercial Villages, Buyers and Service Providers. The platiorm is geo-mapped per county based on the following modules:
- Virtual Aggregation (household storage and aggregation centres)
- Collective Inputs sourcing and distribution (Per type, company & volumes)
- Market Linkages (Formal buyers, informal markets and wholesale food distributors)
- e-Extension and Training (Food, nutrition, agronomic practices, animal husbandry, climate adaptation, entrepreneurship)
- Finance and accountability (Leadership strengthening & record keeping)
- Savings, investments & credit access
- Market Information (Price trends, volumes traded, cost benefit analysis)
FCI came up with an innovative platform known as eKijiji that performs the following functions;
- Links farmers to buyers (trading)
Users buy and sell commodities on the platform - Offers agronomic information
Users can request for agronomic information such as land preparation, planting, pests and diseases, harvest and post-harvest management tips from the platform for specified commodities - Has access to lending institutions
The platform has been linked to mobile money services such as M-PESA - Offers weekly weather information per county
Farmers receive weather information weekly via SMS, based on their counties - Offers access to farm inputs
Farmers are able to source for inputs from the platform and track how far delivery has gone through our commercial village trade facilitators - Offers access to a cost-benefit analysis tool
Users who can access the web application have access to a cost-benefit analysis tool - Offers access to nutrition services
This feature is available to users on the web platform where they have information about nutrition and value-added services such as food recipes among others - Access to soil testing services
Farmers who want to know the condition of the soil in their farms can book for soil testing on the platform.
Why Network:
During research and client engagement across various countries, the FCI team has increasingly encountered the following issues;
- Mixed outcomes of rural agricultural investment largely by professionals based in cities
- Several attempts by professionals in the cities of creating sustainable livelihoods for their rural families
- A number of agricultural investments aimed at supplementing incomes.
FCI respects and recognizes the efforts that various professionals are undertaking and ultimately playing a major role in agriculture. FCI believes that, with timely market information; these will contribute towards stabilized livelihoods, create employment for relatives and reduce vulnerability of their rural families in Africa.
To de-risk individual investors, particularly professionals and entrepreneurs, FCI has launched the initiative to equip members and provide consistent timely information access on the agricultural sector and further customized information for application on the following.
REGISTER: http://bit.ly/farm2019form
Through this Network, Farm Concern International, FCI will therefore ensure training, access to critical data for informed decision making and networking with key industry players.
FCI will have the following products and services available to Network members;
Annual Activities
FCI regularly conducts multi-value chain studies for various interventions across Africa which will continue to support FCI research and implementation therefore an Annual Membership fee is at subsidized rate of USD 950 paid annually. The annual calendar of events will be shared with network members upon completion of registration.
Network Contacts at Farm Concern International, FCI are as follows;
Christine Akoth, Programmes Manager
Pauline Njeru, Programme Information Officer
Eng. Silas Langat, NRM & Agri Systems Engineer
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FCI Coverage
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Breaking Barriers to Scale Up for 461,232 Direct Smallholder Farmers Report
Seed-Farmer-Market-Consumer [SeFaMaCo] Integrated Value Chain Programme implemented in Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia has opened an unprecedented platform for experiential data gathering through action research embedded in the implementation process. The 461,232 Smallholder Farmers in 1,242 Commercial Villages in the programme are contributing towards a wealth of data on growth pathways as they participate in markets. These emerging data sets through reports and data learning forums which are shared with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, partners and farmers are aimed at increased utilization of statistics on revealing complex dynamics that smallholder farmers contend with and market unpredictability that value chain actors deal with every day for enhanced design of interventions, strategies and policies...Read More
FCI Capacity Development department has innovatively designed, developed and disseminated 237 audio-visual & print materials across 24 Countries for 132 partners based on an integrated delivery approach customized for target clients.
FCI tailor makes capacity building packages for Commercial Villages, Farmer Organizations, Agro-Enterprises, Private Sector Players and Partner to determine learning and training methodologies for farmers, partners and buyers as well as disseminating the information. The multi-leveled curriculum development and training approach has been customized to various target groups with a strong component on interactive learning and exposure visits. A series of Training materials have further been developed into Video and Audio Teaching Aids with a local dialect translation. The Capacity Building Materials are organic and are upgraded to ensure responsiveness to needs of target partners or clients.
ICT Solutions for Capacity Building and Market Information Systems is a critical avenue for massive-distribution of information and training which FCI is testing and upgrading systems consistently based on feedback from Smallholder Communities, Private Sector players , Stakeholders and Commercial Villages. FCI is further in partnership with various private and public players for a synergy in delivery methodologies that complements and keeps it cost effective.
FCI Innovations in Capacity Development
FCI capacity innovations are meant to strengthen the capacity of whatever target group the materials have been designed for. Various actors in Agricultural value chains need to be influenced through information resulting to increased multi-sector dialogue among the actors. FCI has developed the following dissemination channels of the materials:
1. E-training Manuals customized in local dialects to suite country specifics.
2. Illustration manuals- visual aids play a critical role in adult learning since they ensure easy conceptualization of processes and interventions.
3. Audio Visual Materials (case studies, documentaries). The availability of multi-country experiences across FCI work enables
4. Step wise process guidelines – these allow for easy comprehension and application.
5. Kijiji-e-Training Kit an off grid kit that is solar charged and used in the villages for over 8 hours.