Although the service will be marketed under the name Myfarm, it continues to give farmers access to agricultural information, marketplaces, and short-term financing – providing much-needed support to smallholder farmers in Cameroon.
Brastorne partnered with Orange Cameroon, through its long-standing relationship with Orange mobile group, which includes Orange Botswana, Orange DRC, as well as Orange France.
According to Brastorne CEO Martin Stimela, through this partnership, Orange advises which countries would be an ideal fit for Brastorne’s mAgri solution, it is these countries that the organisation then expands into. He said Orange Cameroon was the first telco to express interest in working with Brastorne after Orange DRC.
"At Brastorne, we believe every African, regardless of where they live or their resources, deserves access to information, markets, and community through easy and affordable internet access,” said Stimela.
"This is another great stride for us in connecting unconnected communities in Africa. Given Brastorne’s success in Botswana and solution scalability, last year we launched our mAgri solution in the Democratic Republic of Congo in partnership with Orange DRC and Mercy Corps which have reached nearly two million users in Africa so far,” he said.
On his part, Orange Cameroon Head of Consumer Segments Joseline Lalon, the benefits to the rural farmers of Cameroon are many and affordable internet will give them access to information, markets, and a community they would not have had access to.
"The mAgri solution requires little bandwidth, making feature phones smart by bypassing the need for high-speed networks or expensive infrastructure,” he said
Lalon said agriculture is one of the largest income sources in Cameroon, with approximately 90% of Cameroonian households having found employment in the agriculture sector. With access to information through internet connectivity, farmers in the agriculture sector can produce an even greater yield, while also gaining access to local markets.
"This is no less different in the country of Cameroon, where agriculture is the largest contributor to household income and most families live off of subsistence farming. These farms are often located in rural areas where internet access is unavailable or far too expensive. Easy and affordable internet would make a meaningful difference for the unconnected farmers and the economy of Cameroon as a whole," he said.
