The YouFarm Crowd Farming Platform

YouFarm was launched in response to an unmet need for funding for small scale and commercial farmers. Towards the end of 2016 my mother became a beneficiary of the Zimbabwean land reform program. She then turned to me and asked me to do something with the farm. I was suddenly faced with the same problem that a lot of beneficiaries of the land reform program are faced with including, new farmers, young farmers and women in Zimbabwe.

I had no previous farming experience and I did not own any immovable property so I had no collateral to borrow against. The harsh economic environment and high cost of finance in Zimbabwe further reduced any chance I had of getting the farm going.
These factors alone affect thousands of Zimbabweans and the cards are stacked against the farmers. Instead of giving up, I began to think of a solution. How could I get funding without collateral or any farming experience? And how would I cope with the cost of finance? After doing a lot of research and thinking I came up with the YouFarm Crowd Farming Platform.

I believe that every Zimbabwean deserves to benefit from the land. We may not all be farmers and we may not own land but we have a right to benefit from it. The YouFarm Crowd Farming Platform  allows all Zimbabweans to participate in the agricultural value chain through our unique model of participatory agriculture.

How it works

YouFarm provides collateral free funding for farmers by getting people to invest in crops and livestock. When the produce goes to market they share the profits with the farmer. YouFarm then protects the investors money by:

1.Providing all parties involved with a digital platform to manage investor risk and crop performance.

2.Making sure that money meant for inputs is used for inputs. No farmer is given cash.

3.We make sure that all crops farmed have a market before the seeds are even planted.

4.Provision of accurate weather forecasting using low earth orbit satellites.

5.Providing our customers with cutting edge satellite imaging and advice so that we can maximize yields and savings.

6.Ensuring all crop is insured against force majeur and political risk so that that the investors money is protected.

7.Working closely with the farmers and seasoned agronomists to maximize results

By doing all of this YouFarm has a created a way that every citizen can become a part of the Zimbabwean agricultural value chain.

Follow us on face book http://www.facebook.com/youfarmzw or on twitter @YouFarmZim. To register as a farmer or investor log onto the website http://www.youfarm.co.zw and fill out the registration forms.