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Selina Wamucii

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Selina Wamucii
Company typePrivate
IndustryAgriculture
Founded2015
FounderJohn Oroko, Kariuki Gaita
HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
Area served
[1]
Key people
John Oroko (CEO), Kariuki Gaita
Products
  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Grains and Pulses
  • Tea
  • Coffee
  • Nuts and Oilseeds
  • Spices
  • Fish and Seafood
  • Fibre and Textiles
Websitewww.selinawamucii.com

Selina Wamucii (| səˈliːnə wæˈmuːʃɪɘ |) is an agricultural company and social enterprise that markets produce from smallholder farmers by integrating with cooperatives, producer organizations, agro-processors, small and medium enterprises, and other organizations that work directly with family farmers.[2][3] It uses technology to manage the produce grown by smallholder farmers. The company's headquarters are located in Nairobi and is best known as Kenya's largest exporter of avocado.[4][5]

Overview

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Selina Wamucii's story began with two women farmers named Selina Nyanchoka and Esther Wamucii Gaita, mothers of the founders John Oroko and Kariuki Gaita.[6] Selina Wamucii markets produce including mango and avocado from thousands of smallholder farmers in Africa.[7][8] Farmers join Selina Wamucii either on the Selina Web-based platform named Growersoft or on mobile phone via USSD.[4] The "Selina Wamucii Farmers" program provides all necessary information about farms during the produce growth period. Then, financial transactions are carried out between the company and farmers through the M-Pesa, mobile banking system.[9][10] Selina Wamucii links thousands of smallholder farmers to buyers including wholesalers, retailers, vendors and restaurants.[11][12]

Selina Wamucii headquarters in Nairobi,Kenya

Work with Farmers

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Farmer Groups and Cooperatives

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In March 2020,[13] the company announced that it was opening up its market access platform to  Africa's farmer groups and cooperatives.[14]

Call for an International Coffee Agreement

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Selina Wamucii has been involved in voicing the challenges of Africa's smallholder farmers. In July 2020, the company released a report that highlighted the situation of Africa's coffee farmers, indicating that the farmers are not receiving a fair share of the billions that the coffee industry makes every year.[15][16] The report concluded that Africa's Coffee Farmers lose billions annually due to the poor prices they receive for their coffee.[17][18]

The company's CEO's called for the establishment of a quota-based, International Coffee Agreement that sets export quotas and helps steer the price, and makes it possible for farmers to live from the proceeds of their hard work.[19]

Fight Against Locusts

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In January 2021, Selina Wamucii launched an AI-powered early warning tool to help farmers fight off locusts that were devastating crops and livelihoods across Africa.[20][21]

The tool known as Kuzi, derived from the Swahili name for the wattled starling, a bird that eats locusts,[22] relies on satellite data, sensors that monitor soil moisture, and local weather data to deliver predictions on locust breeding locations and migration routes.[23][24]

Awards and recognition

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Selina Wamucii has received recognition from various institutions including the London Stock Exchange Companies to Inspire Africa 2019,[25] global social impact programme Expo Live, run by Expo 2020 – organisers of the next World Expo,[26][27] and the TOMMY HILFIGER Social Innovation Challenge.[28]

References

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  1. ^ "Selina Wamucii Service areas". Selina Wamucii.
  2. ^ "How Kenya's Selina Wamucii is empowering smallholder farmers through mobile tech". How We Made It In Africa. 2018-01-25. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  3. ^ Adhiambo, Mercy. "This app links farmers with lucrative markets". The Standard. Retrieved 2019-02-14.
  4. ^ a b "Farmers reap big from digital marketing portal". Daily Nation (Kenya). 12 September 2017.
  5. ^ "Hobby farming sowed seed of enterprise for duo". Business Daily Africa.
  6. ^ Thuranira, Weddy (2021-04-09). "Selina Wamucii sources all Africa's produce in one platform". TechMoran. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  7. ^ "Selina Wamucii Acquires majority stake in Mt. Kenya fresh avocados". Fresh Plaza. 16 October 2015. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
  8. ^ "Selina Wamucii – The Kenyan Platform Empowering Smallholder Farmers Through Mobile Technology". Ventures Africa. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  9. ^ "Kenya's Selina Wamucii Utilizes Technology to Bridge Market Access Gap for Small-Holder Farmers". November 8, 2017.
  10. ^ "How Selina Wamucii is Using Mobile Phone to Transform Smallhoder Supply Chain". Farmers Trend. November 6, 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  11. ^ "Africa's agriculture needs a big dose of digital transformation". Digital Journal. October 3, 2017. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  12. ^ "Selina Wamucii: A Success Story of the Power of Mobile Phone in Sourcing Smallholder Fresh Produce". Horti News. October 24, 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-03.
  13. ^ "Kenyan agri-tech startup Selina Wamucii opens platform to groups and cooperatives". Disrupt Africa. 2020-03-24. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  14. ^ "African Farmers Cab Benefit From Direct Market Access As Selina Wamucii Opens Up Platform To Groups & Cooperatives". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  15. ^ "Misery at the Farm: Africa's Coffee Farmers Losing Billions to Exploitation – Report". ChimpReports. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  16. ^ "African Coffee Paid Less Compared to Latin America, Asia :". Uganda Radionetwork. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  17. ^ Desk3 (2020-08-02). "Africa's coffee farmers are losing billions to exploitation, Selina Wamucii". Comunicaffe International. Retrieved 2021-02-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ "Africa's Coffee Farmers Losing Billions to Exploitation Annually - Report". 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  19. ^ "Report calls for International Coffee Agreement to end African exploitation". New Food Magazine. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  20. ^ "Kenyan firm offers farmers AI-based locust monitoring tech | Africa Times". africatimes.com. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  21. ^ "African farmers use AI to prepare for locust swarms up to three months in advance". The National. 2021-01-11. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  22. ^ Arnoldi, Marleny. "Locust prediction tool allows for early intervention in four African countries so far". www.engineeringnews.co.za. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  23. ^ "Newly designed AI tool alerts farmers on when locusts are likely to attack". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  24. ^ "Kuzi, an AI-powered tool helping African farmers fight locusts". Kuzi, an AI-powered tool helping African farmers fight locusts. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  25. ^ "London Stock Exchange Companies to Inspire Africa 2019". London Stock Exchange Group.
  26. ^ "Grant from global social impact programme Expo Live". Capital Business. 17 May 2018.
  27. ^ "Expo Live Global Innovators | Expo 2020 Dubai". www.expo2020dubai.com.
  28. ^ Ireri, Musyimi (3 February 2019). "TOMMY HILFIGER Social Innovation Challenge Honors". Horticultural News.
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