Traditionally, farmers in Kenya have had to walk great lengths just to buy or sell their produce. Now that’s starting to change, thanks to a new mobile payment solution called 2Kuze from Mastercard Labs that connects farmers with agents and buyers. When a buyer enters an online inquiry, the system generates a text message that taps into the farmer community. A farmer can then choose to respond with an offer to provide the produce entirely or pitch in with what’s available at the time. An agent, who works with Mastercard Labs, then goes in to verify that offer and to negotiate the price with the farmer. 2Kuze is the result of an $11 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and is currently being used by 2,000 small-scale farmers in Kenya.
Mastercard built a digital marketplace for farmers in Kenya
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