More portfolio A research project first
This started as research, not as an app. At VODW I was researcher, designer and project lead. We looked at where it would be most feasible for Rabobank to set up a service that helps farmers grow their crop.
The bank has a huge amount of data about and for farmers, globally. We used that to compare regions, crops and the kind of support that would actually land. The detailed findings stay under NDA.
Africa, then a prototype
Africa came out as one of the regions with the highest feasibility. Instead of wrapping that up in a report, we went out and built a prototype of what the service could look like.
The idea was never finance alone. With the data, the service could also recommend which seeds to buy, and when to plant or harvest. You pick a crop and the size of your land, and you see the season in front of you: seeds, transplants, fertiliser, machines, tools, then a loan that fits that work.
Money where farmers already pay
Paying with M-Pesa was the most common way to move money. Microloans were possible on that same rail, so we fitted both into the concept. Confirm the amount and the term, and the money can sit in an agri wallet or leave through M-Pesa.
We were not shipping a bank app. We were showing the service so people could decide. The prototype did that job. It helped release funding for larger IT work.
