Over the next two years, Solidaridad will implement and expand the reach of “Kvuno,” a decentralized digital service model incubated by Solidaridad to lower the cost of providing last-mile services to smallholder farmers in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia. Kvuno utilizes a range of digital tools to develop smart farming service packages, integrating innovative and low-cost deployment strategies, leveraging youth and community networks, and aggregating and ethically monetizing data.
Small-scale producers often lack internet access, mobile phones, or struggle with time limitations or illiteracy. Kvuno reaches them using digital technologies, community networks, and internet tools to efficiently manage relationships and facilitate last-mile transactions between small-scale producers, input and service providers, and markets.
This grant will contribute to our mission to reach 500,000 smallholder farmers in Southern Africa by 2025 and over 5 million hectares across East, Central, and Southern Africa by 2030. Kvuno’s approach focuses on developing lean, affordable, and scalable technology solutions that bundle services and connect farmers to information and services that can help them become profitable, commercial small-scale producers.
Kvuno uses innovative strategies, such as Farmer to Farmer support, digital identities, digital interactions, communal smartphones, and incentives. Kvuno will also partner with other service providers and leverage smart farming innovations to expand the service bundles offered to farmers, scaling up the number of Kvuno service centers in the process. By testing new innovations and leveraging partnerships, Kvuno aims to reduce last mile service delivery costs to US$ 10 or less per farmer per year.
Moreover, we intend to convert the proprietary Kvuno service centers into open last-mile delivery centers, enabling other service providers to access the pool of small-scale producers linked to Kvuno. This will further reduce last mile service delivery costs by including several services channeled through Kvuno centers. This will help Kvuno achieve greater efficiencies and scale up, while continuing to serve the needs of smallholder farmers in Africa.
The project also includes a robust learning agenda to improve operational efficiencies and strengthen Kvuno’s viability as a social enterprise.