Virtual Farmers Market is an app-based e-commerce platform where farmers’ surplus and buyers’ demand for crops are advertised and traded. The platform provides a transparent, open and trustworthy space for smallholder farmers and buyers to negotiate fair prices and deals.
The first Virtual Farmers Market, called Maano, is currently being piloted in Zambia.
How does your innovation work?
T...
SEE ALLVirtual Farmers Market is an app-based e-commerce platform where farmers’ surplus and buyers’ demand for crops are advertised and traded. The platform provides a transparent, open and trustworthy space for smallholder farmers and buyers to negotiate fair prices and deals.
The first Virtual Farmers Market, called Maano, is currently being piloted in Zambia.
How does your innovation work?
The key functions of the Virtual Farmers Market are:
- Provides information on farmers’ supply and buyers’ demand, identity and location to everyone through a smartphone application
- Facilitates farmer-buyer discussions and price negotiation
- Facilitates the sale of farmers’ produce through a payment system where WFP acts as a guarantor
The VFM platform supports smallholder farmers organized by lead farmers (VFM Ambassadors), to estimate their community’s production and selling price, and advertise this information on the online market. Allowing buyers to access this information and communicate directly with the farmers gives them the opportunity to increase their business by accessing larger volumes of quality produce. As smallholder farmers become more visible to new buyers, VFM increases competition between buyers for farmers’ produce, thus helping farmers get better prices and more favorable marketing options.
Graphics explaining how VFM works is available here.
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