2023 Winners: FarmConnect Kano Empowers Smallholder Farmers

An agricultural technology app that helps smallholder farmers find buyers and get fair prices for their produce.

The Team

Team FarmConnect consists of 4 talented young women from Command Day Secondary School Kaduna:

• Halima Abdulrahman Garba
• Zainab Musa Abdullahi
• Maryam Ibrahim Shehu
• Fatima Balarabe Abubakar

The Challenge

Small-scale farmers in Kano, particularly women farmers, often lack access to market information and are forced to sell their produce at unfairly low prices to middlemen. Post-harvest losses can reach up to 40% for perishable goods like tomatoes and vegetables, causing significant economic hardship for farming families. The team grew up seeing their relatives struggle with these challenges and wanted to use technology to level the playing field.

The Solution

FarmConnect is a mobile marketplace where farmers can list their produce with photos and prices, connecting directly with buyers including restaurants, hotels, and household consumers. The app features real-time price information from major markets across Kano State, a logistics coordination system that helps arrange delivery, weather alerts to help farmers plan their planting and harvesting, and a community forum where farmers share tips, best practices, and farming advice. The app supports voice input in Hausa for farmers who may have limited literacy.

Prizes Won

• $60,000 Clarkson University undergraduate scholarship for each team member ($240,000 total)
• N500,000 cash prize for the team (2023 prize structure)
• Gold medals for each team member
• Incubation support from agricultural technology partners
• Feature in BBC Africa business segment

Impact

• Over 500 registered farmers on the platform
• N50 million in transactions facilitated through the app
• 25% reduction in post-harvest losses for participating farmers
• Deployed in 5 local government areas in Kano State
• Created employment for 15 local delivery riders

Where Are They Now?

The team members are in their second year at Clarkson University, studying Computer Science and Agricultural Engineering. They return to Nigeria during breaks to mentor new STEMify Africa participants and continue developing FarmConnect. The app is expanding to Jigawa and Katsina States, with interest from agricultural cooperatives in other Northern Nigerian states. The team has been invited to speak at international agricultural technology conferences.