Horticulture farming in Kenya is a rapidly growing sector that plays an impactful role in the country’s economy and food security. It is one of the fastest-growing agricultural sectors, currently ranked third in terms of foreign exchange earnings, after tourism and tea. While only 4% of horticultural produce is exported, the majority is consumed locally, supporting small-scale farmers who produce over 90% of the local supply.
Equatorial Horti-Fresh Limited (EHL), based in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya is one such enterprise making an impact in this field. Specializing in products such as passion fruit, avocado, tree tomato, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, and African leafy vegetables, EHL bridges the gap between smallholder farmers and various market outlets. In addition to purchasing produce from farmers, the company offers services, including marketing, aggregation, pruning, and nursery management—ensuring that farmers have the resources they need.
However, like many agribusinesses, they initially struggled to manage large numbers of farmer data using tools such as Excel sheets. To digitalize their operations, Equatorial Horti-fresh Limited partnered with eProd through the Digitalization Challenge managed by eProd with co-funding from Rabo Foundation. This collaboration has optimized their supply chain management processes, ensuring transparency, accountability, and traceability from farm to market.
Before using eProd, EHL struggled with manual data entry, to record farmer data and processing collections. “With, eProd we are able to collect all the required data on a timely basis from the field staffs, collection and payment of goods have also been seamless through the use of the system. All these have created transparency and leads to growth of the company,” Says Justus Kibet, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at EHL.
Additionally, the record-keeping and traceability features in the eProd system have also allowed EHL to track their production, from the source of seedlings to the agrochemicals and on to the end market. This traceability helps in identifying potential food safety and produce quality problems and solving them before they escalate. Farmers can also monitor their crop growth and receive regular updates via SMS, which builds their confidence in the process. This greater transparency simplifies business operations for EHL and ensures they deliver high-quality produce.
In terms of communication, the company has been able to send farmers SMS messages, inviting them to field days and providing them with agro-weather information tailored to their specific field location. This has helped farmers plan when to plant and when to harvest.
EHL is also focused on promoting Climate-Smart Agriculture. They’ve partnered with programs like SNV Craft to train farmers in regenerative agriculture—using organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides to move away from synthetic inputs. All this contributing to their efforts to promote climate smart agriculture.
Equatorial Horti-Fresh Limited’s implementation of the eProd system as a tool to digitalize their operations has been highly impactful. “The use of technology has been of great help to us. System-generated collections have helped farmers keep records of their sales and productivity, allowing them to see the benefits of agribusiness and appreciate the importance of technology in agriculture,” Mr. Kibet mentioned. From improving data management to streamlining communication, Equatorial Horti-Fresh Limited has successfully enhanced its operations with eProd.
Would you like to learn more about how eProd can assist your business? Contact us at info@eprod-solutions.com for more details.