IN late 2012, Knowledge Transfer Africa (KTA), an indigenous knowledge systems company, launched an interactive knowledge-sharing platform for the agriculture sector called eMkambo.
The company has now launched a complementary service called eMkambo Call Centre (eMCC) and NewsDay (ND) columnist Omen Muza, who has been closely following the company’s progress, recently caught up with Charles Dhewa (CD), KTA chief executive officer and eMkambo founder. Below are excerpts of the interview.
ND: Tell us exactly how the eMCC connects stakeholders in the farming community. What’s the rationale of building such infrastructure?
CD: The call centre complements other eMkambo channels such as Short Message Service (SMS) and face-to-face interactions.
Farmers contact the call centre looking for commodity buyers, input providers and financial institutions. On the other hand, buyers and traders call to enquire about farmers selling specific commodities such as sugar beans. Each of these groups leaves their details which we use to connect them.
Input providers advertise their products through the call centre and this information is given to farmers who either call or send SMS enquiries. Financial institutions, policymakers and non-governmental organisations call with specific and general questions about the performance of the market during a particular period.
All this market intelligence is gathered, processed and converted into super-charged agriculture content shared through the call centre. The rationale for setting up the call centre was to build sustainable networks among traders, farmers, transporters, food chain stores, input suppliers and agro-dealers.
ND: Where is the eMCC located and what is the rationale for its location?
CD: The call centre is located in Mbare, Harare, which is the biggest agriculture market in Zimbabwe. At least 70% of fresh agriculture commodities flow to Mbare from all Mashonaland Provinces, Manicaland Province and some parts of the Midlands Province. Mbare also has a good transport network from any part of Zimbabwe enabling farmers wanting to visit us to do so easily.
ND: Naturally, the eMCC is a vital cog in the whole eMkambo grand machine. Tell us how this call centre advances the broader concept of eMkambo?
CD: In our eagerness to ignite Zimbabwe’s agro-based economy through the burgeoning power of mobile technology, the call centre expresses our desire to see information communication technologies moving beyond tools and gadgets such as mobile phones, lap tops and data bundles toward managing knowledge as a capability, something more holistic, powerful and valuable for farmers and other agriculture actors. Through the call centre, smallholders and other value chain actors are discovering their new power every day.
ND : We understand that the eMCC connects various market players in more than 20 markets around Zimbabwe. Which markets are these?
CD: These include Mbare Agriculture Market (Harare), Lusaka — Highfield Agriculture Market (Harare), Chikwanha – Guzha Agriculture Market (Chitungwiza), Malaleni Agriculture Market (Bulawayo), Shasha Agriculture Market (Bulawayo), Bulawayo Up-market Traders Association, Esigodini Roadside Market, Bomba and Njelele Roadside Markets (Gokwe South), Mandava Agriculture Market (Zvishavane), Hamamaoko Agriculture Market (Zvishavane), Tafara Agriculture Market (Masvingo), Garikayi Agriculture Market (Masvingo), Nyika Agriculture Market (Bikita), Dewure Irrigation Scheme (Birchenough), Ngondoma Irrigation Scheme (Empress), Sakubva Agriculture Market (Mutare), Chipangano Agriculture Market (Mutare), Rusape Agriculture Market, Marondera Agriculture Market, Bindura Agriculture Market and Chinhoyi Agriculture Market.
ND: In the context of the eMCC, why is it important to establish the link between the volume and varieties of commodities pushed in our agricultural markets and the underlying money which exchanges hands?
CD: Data on the volume and variety of commodities pushed through agriculture markets is converted into content with a bigger purpose, particularly for financial institutions keen to fund agriculture activities. The volume and variety of commodities are an integral part of feedback loops among connected value chain actors. Different value chain actors are interested in the volume and varieties of commodities on the market for various reasons.
ND: Can anyone use the eMCC? Are there any qualifying criteria for accessing this service?
CD: Anyone interested in agriculture production and marketing can use the call centre.
ND: If this is a membership-based service, what’s the composition size of its subscription base now?
CD: More than 100 000 actors comprising farmers, buyers, agro-dealers, traders, transporters, financial institutions, input suppliers, policymakers and general consumers are using the service to understand informal agriculture markets.
ND: KTA is obviously providing a valuable service to your target market. How does the company make money from the eMCC’s operations in order to sustain itself? What business model drives this service?
CD: We have started cobbling income streams from the call centre as a structure for exchanging value. Farmers, traders and other callers pay for the service through a fraction of the value of the commodities they trade through the call centre. The payment is either in cash or through commodities. We have also agreed a revenue share arrangement with particular mobile service providers for the volume of traffic that passes through the call centre. Input providers also pay for advertising their products through the call centre.
The business model is anchored on using SMS to trigger conversations (stories) which are then conducted and solved through the call centre.
ND: From your perspective as proponents of eMkambo, how do the agriculture markets dotted around the country reflect the true potential of Zimbabwean Agriculture?
CD: The markets provide a glimpse of the commodities available in particular areas. They also indicate the amount of excess commodities that farmers are able to bring to the market after taking care of household consumption needs. The markets are basically economic zones that deserve to be taken seriously.