AgriKOPA is enhancing smallholder agriculture with Earth observation

InCubed, a co-funding programme managed by ESA Φ-lab, is supporting agriKOPA – a platform that provides financial services and real-time crop monitoring, being an easy and convenient tool for end users during the agricultural season. This platform is led by agriBORA, a Kenyan-German agri-fin-tech company that aspires to empower small farming businesses in Africa.

ESA InCubed, an ESA EOP co-funding programme managed by Φ-lab, has a proven reputation for establishing contracts to develop pioneering technologies, services, and applications within the Earth observation (EO) domain. Φ-lab and the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator set up the EO & AI for SDGs Innovation Initiative in 2021 to find commercially viable EO and AI-based solutions to counteract global hunger issues. As a result of the selection process, agriBORA, a Kenyan-German agri-fin-tech company that strives to transform the agricultural business model in African countries, received a grant to demonstrate a proof of concept within the initiative’s theme. AgriBORA further matured its solutions and was then selected for a contract in the context of an InCubed funding call.  

Agriculture is a key point for food security in Kenya, and it also provides a source of income. Climate change endangers crop development, which puts the farmers’ way of living at risk. With the support of InCubed, agriBORA is developing agriKOPA, an initiative that relies on the use of data analytics powered by EO satellite data, enabling local agri-merchants to work with agriHUBs – providers that offer climate-smart advisory services, linking financial services, input suppliers, farmers, and the market. The novelty in the use of EO data by agriKOPA is the creation of a score for each farmer, enabling Financial Service Providers (FSPs) to lend credit with more confidence. The loans will then allow farmers to purchase the inputs needed for production.

Albin Lacroix, a Φ-lab InCubed officer, shared his thoughts on the latest mission in Kenya, from 10 to 12 June 2024. This mission included visits and meetings with different stakeholders – agriBORA, Kenya Commercial Bank, and the Kenyan Space Agency. 

The mission started with a visit to the agriBORA premises, in Nairobi, focusing on one of the milestones of the project – the factory acceptance test (FAT). This represents the finalisation of the technical development of the service, and the kick-off of the pilot phase, rendering the service operational for test users. “Our meeting about FAT was particularly important for the project, as the service relies on many interactions between farmers, agriHUBs, loan providers, and agriBORA. Together with Kizito Odhiambo, Founder and CEO of agriBORA, and the Kenyan team members, we went through the intricate process pipeline of agriKOPA”, comments Albin.

The second day was spent on two different agriHUBs in Kisumu. The visits to these agriHUBs were the key point of the mission, given that there was direct contact between the InCubed programme, hub managers and farmers, who are the end users of the service. These meetings were held half in English, and half in Swahili, providing feedback on the first pilot tests conducted by agriBORA.

Albin Lacroix says “InCubed is a market-oriented programme and end users are the center of our solution design. Meeting them in person was very important. It was incredibly interesting to hear their daily concerns and the advantages they get from agriKOPA. The added value is immense, from getting good quality material inputs on time to ensuring loans and insurance in the case of bad crop years. The EO aspect is not directly visible to the farmers, but it is crucial for the estimation of the score provided by agriBORA to FSPs, allowing them to trust the smallholder they will lend credit to.” The next step will be the successful conduction of the pilot phase, followed by scaling up.

The third and final day of the mission began with a visit to the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) premises in Nairobi, and a meeting with a KCB representative. KCB is an FSP for agriBORA. After receiving requests for loans, agriBORA does a first round of scanning and filtering of applicants. KCB does a second round of scanning before releasing the loan to the farmer through the agriKOPA platform.

This was followed by a visit to the Kenya Space Agency (KSA). “The goal of the visit was for agriBORA to present their updates. KSA is very excited about this project, given that the topic of smallholder farmers is of great relevance to public authorities in Kenya. These farmers need funds to succeed in their activities and, with the support of InCubed, agriKOPA is the bridge between them and FSPs. KSA representatives also had the opportunity to get familiar with the work developed at Φ-lab and the main purpose of InCubed. Charles Mwangi, Head of the Earth Observation, Research, Education and Outreach Programmes at KSA was present in that meeting with three of his colleagues from KSA”, Albin remarks.

During this three-day mission, Albin Lacroix was accompanied by Kizito Odhiambo, Founder and CEO of agriBORA: “Unlocking access to finance through agriKOPA is a great milestone for us and aligns with our vision of making Africa the agricultural powerhouse of the world. The incredible support from ESA through InCubed and the strong partnerships with local financial service providers have been instrumental in the development phase, helping to de-risk the entire process. We are very excited to start the validation phase during the upcoming short rain season in August.”

Michele Castorina, Head of the Φ-lab Invest Office, comments: “this collaboration between InCubed and agriBORA has accelerated innovation in the EO, agriculture-related domain, providing agriBORA with cutting-edge satellite technology and expertise. Together, we are revolutionising farming, empowering smallholdings, and boosting productivity and sustainability. This is a leap towards a smarter, more resilient agricultural future.”

To know more: ESA InCubed, agriBORA, Kenya Space Agency

Photo courtesy of ESA