Kenya-based Startup, Taimba is Connecting Farmers to Retailers Through Technology
The agri-tech space in Africa is booming, as quite a number of startups operating in the agritech market has grown to 110 percent within the past two years. According to the Agrinnovation for Africa released by Disrupt Africa, over US$19 million has been invested into the sector in the past two years.
Taimba happens to be one of the emerging quality agriculture cum technology ventures in Kenya. Founded by Aisha Abdukadir and Paul Akwabi in 2017, the startup operates a business-to-business mobile-based cashless platform connecting farmers to retailers with the aim of improving the supply chain, as well as to regulate the price of agricultural produce. They currently work with farm produce such as potatoes, onions, carrots and tomatoes.
They basically work to cut wastage and make farm produceven affordable without undercutting the farmer. The startup was started on the idea that food chains should be simple because every individual should have access to affordable quality food.
And to carry this out, they source for farm produce from the farmer at affordable prices and then offer retailers the fresh produce at lower than market produce, to ensure that they also sell to the final consumer at more affordable prices, including delivering it to their doorsteps.
They also give advice in the best farming practices to maximize profits and minimize losses and to support their businesses
They have been beneficiaries of countless awards such as the Food+City Challenge Prize hosted by SXSW, they also won the inaugural Disrupt Africa Live Pitch Competition among others.
In the words of Joan Dominique Kavuisya, the cofounder and CEO, “Africa could be a ‘gold mine’ for fresh produce, if the right solution to prevent excessive post-harvest wastage is found. The African market is beginning to appreciate the value of farming as we face a huge unemployment ratio and farming remains one of the most underdeveloped sectors where there is a huge opportunity yet to be exploited.”
