Connecting 2.5m farmers without the internet

Small-scale farmers supply 80% of the world’s food and commodities. Social entrepreneur Kenny Ewan had an ambitious idea – to network farmers without relying on internet. Together, we designed and launched WeFarm.

An inventive SMS solution

Less than 10% of the 525 million small-scale farmers in developing countries had internet access in 2013. But 90% could access SMS.

WeFarm harnessed an inventive SMS solution and responsive web application. It provided mobile trade and agricultural information from peers to maximise farmer income.

Based on a lot of the work Else did, 2.5 million farmers became WeFarm members, with $1m in sales through the marketplace every week.

A powerful shift in knowledge

At the heart of the service was a unique translation system powered by a bilingual micro-volunteer group.

From a central web hub, the WeFarm team could push out tips to registered devices based on FAQs and actionable ideas.

Impact

• 100,000 farmers reached in less than 18 months
• WeFarm became the world’s largest network for small-scale farmers
• WeFarm answered the questions of more than 50 million people