For the farmers who sign up with us, the loan application process is quite simple. We work with various financial institutions that give credit to small-scale farmers in Kenya. That’s how we ended up founding FarmDrive during our last year of university in 2014. We brainstormed about how we could use technology to solve some of the farmers’ problems we saw or experienced first-hand. We both studied computer science, but connected more because of our similar backgrounds growing up in farming communities. When I started university, I met my co-founder Peris Bosire on our first day on campus. I grew up in a farming community in Turbo, about three hundred km northwest of the capital, Nairobi, where most families grow maize. What made you venture into this technology? We combine the farm-level data we get from the farmers with big datasets – like weather, climate, economic, and satellite data – to generate a credit score which financial institutions then use to lend to the farmers. We’ve developed a mobile phone app which rural farmers can use to track their revenues and expenses, as well as apply for loans. What really is it?įarmDrive is a data analytics company developing alternative credit scoring models to benefit smallholder farmers. So, I am here to help bring the youth’s voice in designing programmes for engaging the youth, specifically in the agricultural sector. I co-founded a company called FarmDrive that helps local farmers in Kenya obtain credit. Kimani: I am here as one of the young leaders advocating for the Sustainable Development Goals. She spoke to Africa Renewal’s Zipporah Musau about her project.Īfrica Renewal: Why were you selected to attend this event at the UN? Through her initiative, FarmDrive, Rita is using data analytics and mobile phone technology to connect smallholder farmers with lending institutions in rural Kenya. Rita Kimani, 25, is one of the young leaders designated by the United Nations to help promote the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among fellow youth.
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