NEWS farmers outperform those who rely mainly on brokers to find markets .
When researching farming practices along the coastal areas of Kenya , it was established that informal and formal agreements between farmers and bed and breakfast , hotel and restaurant businesses provide business security and highly favourable prices compared to those in the western regions of the country , who rely mostly on brokers or co-operatives . With buyers located near farms , smallholders also face lower transportation costs as part of their business costs . In many instances , buyers come to collect products at the gates . These buyers also include walk-in customers in geographical areas with the most active tourism sectors .
While Covid-19 has challenged normal markets patterns , a key lesson from small-holders in East Africa is the continued effective adoption of digital platforms for marketing and sharing of information among farmers and other role players to find alternatives . Online farming communities , with digital auction markets for their products , emerged about five years ago as an innovative response to price and information abuse by brokers along the value chains and are now well established . These include online auction platforms designed by organisations , where sellers of agricultural products are formally registered and supported to sell through live bidding processes .
The 400 000 member strong Digital Farmers Kenya ( DFK ) community uses Facebook to share information and advice about production activities and product choices , put simply , what to farm , where to farm it and what market prices to expect thereafter . Some information relates to solutions for biological challenges that are being experienced before and during cultivation , for example plant and animal diseases .
Farming communities on digital platforms require input from stakeholders along the production and marketing value chains and for a varied number of products , including private suppliers of agricultural chemicals , government extension services with expert knowledge and retailers .
These lessons from East Africa have been discussed for appropriate adoption by South African emerging small farmers , especially in national efforts around land redistribution strategies . Land reform policy strategies in South Africa can only move forward through ensuring that beneficiaries of land reform programmes - aimed at producing commercial farmers – are trained appropriately for operating fully on digital platforms or markets . Digital markets are now simply the future for farmers and related stakeholders in the value chain across the continent to survive the impact of the pandemic , enabling farmers to advertise products , bid for prices and secure essential buyers .
Covid-19 can provide government departments tasked with implementing land reform policies with the impetus to accelerate the establishment of essential digital platforms , the formation of networks and the roll-out of relevant training . Tried and tested digital platforms and practices can be adopted from various parts of the continent , including East Africa , with readily available and relevant lessons to help our emerging farmers to not just survive , but to thrive .
SENWES SCENARIO | LENTE � SPRING 2020 45