This Makerere finalist is using the internet to stop exploitation of farmers

Biddemu Bazil Mwota a Bachelor of Education finalist from MAK is the CEO AgroDuuka who sweats tooth and nail to save farmers from exploitation by middle men. 

What is AgroDuuka?
This is a mobile platform that links farmers to potential agricultural produce buyers earning a 10% commission from the transaction.

Why did Mwota invent AgroDuuka?
“My mother, Mrs Nakisitu Florence Biddemu is a farmer. Each and every other holiday, we could go to the village in Katiiti Mpigi to help her out with the farm work. It is here that I realised that farmers, my mother inclusive were exploited by middle men who bought from them at low prices and sold in Kampala at exorbitant prices. Farmers could hardly obtain the right value for their labour. I initiated a platform; AgroDuuka to connect farmers directly to buyers.”

In just a period of 6 months since its inception, it has registered 800 farmers in groups from 36 villages. Employing 3 other individuals apart from himself. AgroDuuka employees task themselves with a manual registration process of farmers and their produce during one on one interactions which increases their legitimacy on the Farmers’ side. The Marketing Officer interacts with individuals who own stalls, run markets and shops across Kampala. These provide ample market for the farm produce.

In its genesis, farmers were resistant to welcome the idea thinking it was a Kifeesi organization crafted to steal and sell off their land but with patience, they came to love it.

A typical example of how Transactions are made with AgroDuuka
A farmer sends a message to the AgroDuuka contact line or through Facebook for example; “I’m   Luswata, I have a sac of cassava and I am selling it at 130,000/-” We contact the farmer and directly link him to the buyer. We find a buyer that can pay the exact amount to the farmer. We only get 10% of the sales which is 13000 compared to the 70000 the middle man earns from the same sale. A Middle man in this case would exploit the farmer buying the sac at 60,0000 and selling it at 130,000 earning a 50% commission. Isn’t AgroDuuka’s 10% a fairer charge?

AgroDuuka’s CEO was recently awarded with a Medal by the Internet Society organization  in Los Angeles USA for using the internet to solve societal problems. 

AgroDuuka envisions building an online community of farmers and buyers, more like an online market place and to register more than 2500 farmers on the platform. The team is also building up the capacity to organize more outreaches to equip farmers with adequate knowledge and skills to promote agriculture.

When asked about practical solutions to the alarming rate of unemployment among the youths, Bazil Mwota had this to say 
“We need more innovators because the rate of unemployment is really alarming.Many youth possess brilliant ideas but they are afraid of unleashing them and transforming them into huge business ventures. My message to the youth is to wake from their sleep, go out there and start working. They shouldn’t under look any job. One job, small as it might appear can lead you to a much bigger opportunity”