2019 Sustainable Business Report

SAFARICOM SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS REPORT 2019 INTRODUCTION OUR BUSINESS OUR MATERIAL TOPICS STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT CONCLUDING REMARKS 51 Case Study: DigiFarm DigiFarm is an integrated agriculture platform that helps agribusinesses and smallholder farmers share information and transact. It won the Shared Value Award at the August 2018 Loeries Awards held in South Africa. Our vision is for DigiFarm to increase the income of small scale farmers using the same piece of land by addressing: • Knowledge gaps on best farming practices • Shortage of quality, affordable inputs • A lack of access to financial services such as credit and insurance • Difficulty finding access to markets DigiFarm has over a million farmers on its platform, more than 300,000 of whom are 30-day active customers. DigiFarm has opened 144 depots around the country to enable farmers to access quality inputs. To date 61,435 loans have been approved, and 23,107 loans have been redeemed at DigiFarm depots. DigiFarm’s buyer-driven model seeks to drive behaviour change by encouraging smallholder farmers to grow crops based on market demand. This allows them to produce with a level of certainty, with a minimum price guaranteed before planting commences. Farmers also receive: • Soil testing services • Check off loan for inputs needed • Yield insurance on the farm • Extension services through DigiFarm Village Advisors • A ready market for their produce In FY19, we partnered with the Makueni County government to pilot the buyer-led model, resulting in over 600 sunflower farmers signing up to produce raw material for purchase by Bidco Africa, a leading manufacturer of fast-moving consumer goods including edible oils. DigiFarm is expected to transform the lives of smallholder farmers by enabling them to produce optimally and make farming a profitable business. This will help to ensure food security in Kenya and provide an opportunity for Africa to feed the world.