Crop Nutrition Laboratory Services Ltd (Cropnuts) has launched AgViza, a disruptive AI-based soil testing and digital crop advisory service for smallholder farmers
Soil testing services have been out of reach for smallholder farmers due to financial constraints. This is proven by the fact that poor soil fertility is one of the biggest reasons for yield loss in smallholder farms across Africa. AgViza soil testing technology aims to empower farmers with this critical soil management information.
The combination of different technologies reduces the cost of soil testing by more than 75%, making it more affordable for all types of farmers, especially smallholder farmers in remote locations.
Cropnuts is Africa’s leading independent laboratory for agricultural and environmental testing and is backed by DOB Equity, a leading Dutch family-backed impact investor, and AHL Venture Partners, a leading impact investor investing in Africa.
Jeremy Cordingley, managing director at Cropnuts, said, “Soil testing will help farmers know the right fertiliser requirements and in turn, will de-risk lending to farmers. The field specific input recommendations will improve farmers’ yield, leading to higher incomes and improved repayment ability, giving financial institutions better assurance on their farmer loans.”
Saskia van der Mast, DOB Equity co-CEO, added, “After years of development and capturing thousands of calibration soil samples, Cropnuts now has a scalable and digital solution to enable millions of farmers to become more productive and profitable. We believe Cropnuts has the potential to accelerate investment in the agricultural value chains, increase food security, and manage climate risk.”
