📇 The Project at a Glance

SmartAgorE facilitates the transition to agroecology for Senegalese farmers through a network of social franchises.

🏢 Start-up / Organization 

NOMADESOFT

👤 Project Leads 

Dr. Momar FALL, CEO

🌍 Country 

Senegal

⚡ Energy Sector Segment 

• Solar pumping system 
• Solar dehydration system

🧠 Key Technologies 

• Solar pumping system 
• Irrigation automation system 
• Solar dehydration system 
• Agroecology learning system with Artificial Intelligence

📊 Status 

National scale-up phase

Hero

SMARTAGROE is a social impact startup that facilitates the transition to agroecology for smallholder farmers in Senegal.

We have moved from the PAY-AS-YOU-GO model to the PAY-AS-YOU-CAN model. All of our solar kits (lighting and solar pumping) are offered through a lease-to-own arrangement, with payments tailored to agricultural income over a maximum period of 12 months.

We created this PAY-AS-YOU-CAN model based on user feedback; it is more human-centric and better adapted to their reality, unlike the PAY-AS-YOU-GO model, which is highly restrictive.

Our PAY-AS-YOU-CAN model allows users to benefit from their lighting or irrigation kits even if they do not have a regular income.

The secret to our PAY-AS-YOU-CAN model lies in the relationship of trust between our franchise agents—local village youth, including sons, nephews, and daughters—who work constantly with the users and handle sales, maintenance, and collection.

Our social franchise model, which aims to create sustainable and decent jobs for young people, is based primarily on three training pillars:

1. Recruitment Training: This involves gathering youth from several villages to present the model, the solar kits, and their benefits for users. It is led by young people sharing their own success stories through storytelling, demonstrating how to become micro-entrepreneurs. They showcase the pride that comes with acquired knowledge and skills, and above all, how to earn a decent income. The objective is to recruit potential candidates;
2. Micro-entrepreneur Training: These young people are trained in the core principles of managing a micro-enterprise: cash management, accounting, social marketing, and communication;
3. Technical Training: This consists of training franchisees in installation techniques, maintenance of solar kits, and agro-ecological practices. All training modules (podcasts, videos, presentations) are available in national languages via the digital platform and an Android mobile app, allowing micro-entrepreneurs to strengthen their capacities at any time.

Our social franchise model is powered by a digital platform comprising:

Website: SMARTAGROE.COM for digital communication of services and providing visibility for our partners;  

Social Media:

• Youtube
• An "Intelligent Agricultural Assistant" channel has been created
• Tik Tok 
• Facebook
• WhatsApp Group: DIAPALANTÉ CI MBAAY   

• Franchisee Application: A web-based digital platform serves as the back office to manage the training of young technicians, as well as the administrative and commercial management of franchisees. Each franchisee is equipped with a phone featuring a mobile application to manage their micro-enterprise and their clients.   
• Intelligent Agricultural Assistant: Developed using Android technology with GSM and Artificial Intelligence integration. Once installed on a mobile phone, it allows farmers to automatically control their orchard's irrigation and improve crop profitability through agricultural podcasts available in national languages.

Here are a few key performance indicators:

• 130 sustainable youth jobs created
• 1,375 solar pumps installed
• 354 farmers trained in agroecology
• CO2 reduction with over 1,000 gasoline or diesel motor pumps replaced
• Reduced use of pesticides
• Reduced use of chemical fertilizers

SMARTAGROE uses Artificial Intelligence to facilitate and accelerate the dissemination of agroecological knowledge and best practices. SMARTAGROE has invented a solar dehydrator to accelerate the processing of fruits and vegetables, 40% of which fail to fetch fair market prices or end up as waste.   

The objectives are:

• Establish food processing units;
• Train fifty (50) young people in food processing techniques;
• Set up a social franchise network of one hundred (100) young people in peri-urban and urban areas to market our producers' organic products to consumers.