2KUZE is a digital platform connecting smallholder farmers, agents, buyers and banks in East Africa. 2KUZE, which in Swahili means Lets grow together, enables farmers to buy, sell, and receive payments for agricultural goods via their feature phones. The platform brings the benefits and security of mobile commerce and electronic payments. 2KUZE was first launched in partnership with Cafdirect Producers' Foundation, a non-profit organization working with 300,000 smallholder farmers globally. Currently, 2,000 small-scale farmers in Kenya use the solution to sell their produce and working with farmer-friendly agents to ensure they reach the right buyers for the best price.

Agriculture is fundamental to reducing poverty, driving economic transformation, and increasing food security and nutrition which represent many of the global goals identified by the UNs Sustainable Development Agenda. In addition, agriculture is the critical entry point for financial inclusion for the millions of farmers who drive food production for local and global markets. The mobile platform is one of the examples of how Mastercard is using its technology and expertise to help achieve the UNs Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2KUZE makes transacting much safer and simpler for all stakeholders in the agricultural supply chain the farmer, the buyer and the agent. Farmers using 2KUZE can conduct the entire transaction of selling produce and receiving payments via their feature phones, without having to walk for hours to the markets. The platform enables farmers to capture a greater percentage of the wholesale value of their goods by providing price transparency, more direct access to buyers and empowerment of farmer-friendly agents. The mobile platform is of value not only to farmers who use it but also local financial institutions and other government and non-government stakeholders. Farmers get faster payments via mobile money/ bank transfers, digital histories enabling access to credit, relevant savings products and better access to markets / information. For buyers, it means lower costs of sourcing from smallholders via bulk sourcing and payments. Africa is home to 25% of the worlds farmland, yet it generates only 10% of all crops produced globally. Also, 80% of farmers classified as small-holder farmers having less than 1-2 acres of farming land. Crop production remains low in Africa because the majority of food producers are smallholder farmers who lack access to farming inputs such as improved seeds and fertilizers, agricultural training and fair crop markets to optimize their productivity and increase their earnings. Also, trapped in a cash economy, they lack the financial services to guard against risk, invest in their future and build better lives. 2KUZE is one of several broad-based collaborations on which the Mastercard Lab for Financial Inclusion is working. The Lab was established in Africa to contribute to the companys global commitment to connect 500 million people to formal financial services through the use of public-private partnerships with governments, the private sector and non-governmental organizations.

Eighty percent of farmers in Africa are classified as smallholder farmers having less than 1-2 acres of farming land, making it extremely difficult to drive growth and prosperity within this community. We believe that by using mobile, a technology that is so ubiquitous among farmers in Africa, we can improve financial access, bring in operational efficiency and facilitate faster payments. The collaboration between the Lab team and farmers in the market helped to deliver a solution that can be implemented and make an impact without any major changes to the day-to-day. This solution in particular supports women farmers, who often have household duties that prevent them from leaving the farm gate and are more often subject to having to take whatever deal is given to them on the day. Digitizing these transactions in a trusted, auditable environment provides a legitimate financial footprint, opening up access to loans and other financial services, and also introducing a more efficient process that benefits the entire value chain, as well as the overall economy. Mastercard Lab is exploring the potential for 2KUZE to help farming communities receive the right level of investment and to encourage more efficient ways of doing business with smallholder farmers. Small holder farmers will benefit the most from the solution, but the entire ecosystem will also benefit from the adoption and usage of the digital platform. Farmers are now able to conduct the entire transaction process of receiving payments and selling produce via a feature or smartphone, without having to walk hours to markets. This helps to ensure farmers benefit from the ability to capture a higher percentage of the wholesale value of their goods by providing price transparency and more direct access to buyers. Mastercard is a key driver of the conversation and delivery of financial inclusion through the introduction of relevant products and partnerships. Our approach is driven by key learnings weve seen first-hand while developing and deploying financial inclusion solutions in markets around the world. Financial inclusion is a means to an end: eradicating hunger, ending poverty, empowering women. As the world around us becomes is becoming more digitally savvy, we know that the inclusion of Africans cannot simply be an end in itself, but rather a means to achieve something more - the foundation of economic growth thats more inclusive and sustainable. A continent less dependent on cash.

2KUZE was developed at the Mastercard Lab for Financial Inclusion in Nairobi, which was set up in 2015 to develop practical and cost-effective financial tools that expand access and help build stable futures for more than 100 million people globally. Through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lab is working with East African entrepreneurs, governments and other stakeholders to develop local products rooted in the companys global knowhow. Farmers using either 2KUZE or eKilimo can conduct the entire transaction of selling produce and receiving payments via their feature phones. This enables farmers to capture a greater percentage of the wholesale value of their goods by providing price transparency, more direct access to buyers and empowerment of farmer-friendly agents. This solution supports women farmers, who often have household duties that prevent them from leaving the farm gate and are more often subject to having to take whatever deal is given to them on the day. Digitizing these transactions provides a legitimate financial footprint, opening up access to loans and other financial services, and also introducing a more efficient process that benefits the entire supply chain, as well as the overall economy. In March, the National Microfinance Bank of Tanzania (NMB), confirmed that they had signed a strategic partnership agreement to pilot the same solution under the name, eKilimo which in Swahili means eAgriculture. In Tanzania, small holder farmers contribute USD 13.9bn to Tanzanias GDP (nearly 30 percent).The launch of 2KUZE in Kenya and eKilimo in Tanzania will help advance Goals #1 (No Poverty) and #2 (Zero Hunger), which speak directly to the needs of smallholder farmers and the immense impact they can have on the global supply chain and inclusive economic development. The solution also addresses Goal #5 (Gender Equality), by increasing economic empowerment to the estimated 43 percent of smallholder farmers who are women.

Mastercard, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Cafdirect Producers' Foundation