The strategic use of digital media platforms is gaining momentum among young farmers practicing agroecology and seeking to grow their market share.
Christopher Chinyoka (28) is a young farmer from Summerton in Masvingo Province. Christopher is harnessing the power of technology to market his farm produce. He grows a variety of vegetables which he sells to earn a living. But, farming was not his first choice to earn a living.
"I graduated from a local university in 2018 and ventured into farming as a last resort to survival," says Christopher. “After finishing my university education, I got depressed after failing to get a job. I then decided to get into the family business of farming,” he says.
Like many youths, Christopher has a natural love for technology. He finds it easy to communicate, mobilise and gather the information he needs to grow his business. He says he has averted high transport and marketing costs by using digital media platforms to sells his produce and to look for new customers.
“My markets are mainly in Masvingo and Chirumhanzu and a few local grocery shops. The main challenge was in getting transport to carry my products to the market and this affected my production and supply chain to the markets,” he says.
Rodney Zhombwe (36) is the Training Coordinator at Business Training and Development (BTD) Consultancy. Rodney says farmers need to create synergies and begin collective marketing groups to attract more markets.
“Smallholder farmers need to strategically use communication technologies to collaborate and create organized producer groups, collective marketing cooperatives and agro-dealer networks. These groups create robust relationships in the value chain which directly benefit smallholder farmers” he says.
TSURO Trust Program Officer, Washington Nyakazeya (26) says young farmers can access many opportunities if they integrate their marketing with modern communication technologies to reduce costs.
“There are many opportunities (and cost cutting measures) that can be opened in marketing through online advertising, targeting markets and luring buyers through use of technologies such as social media marketing. This improves decision making at farm level and profitability,” says Washington.
Christopher hopes that in the future, his business will grow through the innovations he is adopting and encourages more young farmers to adopt these marketing innovations.
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