Alexander Zanders is the Founder of Nigerian agri-tech startup UfarmX®, a company that utilises blockchain and AI technologies to provide climate-smart insights to farmers in emerging markets. In simple terms, this involves:
- Providing software that allows capturing of data, including photos and GPS coordinates, aggregated and shown on easy to read dashboards;
- Empowering analysis and decision-making with a comprehensive suite of AI-powered insights;
- Integrating data with other online systems so that data instantly and continuously flows into databases such as Microsoft Excel.
Based on a transparent blockchain ledger, the UfarmX platform enables various transactions that connect farmers to quality inputs, much of it on credit . The platform also ensures access to markets post-harvest, as well as any data required for scaling operations.
Says Zanders: “Through UfarmX, we’re not just planting seeds in the soil. We’re sowing the seeds of economic empowerment, technological innovation, and sustainable growth for Africa’s most valuable players in agriculture.”
UfarmX were on the 1000 Black Voices Black Tech Accelerator in 2023.
ABOUT
Founded in 2019, UfarmX currently supports over 1,300 farmers, and now has a presence in Nigeria, Senegal and Liberia. Amongst other deals, the company achieved a significant US$1.7 million term sheet offer from UBA Bank in Senegal, a notable accomplishment in a region where financial entities often avoid startups, especially in agriculture.