Six Steps to Change Farming Forever: How USSD Puts Power in Farmers' Hands

Farming is the main source of income for millions of smallholder farmers in Tanzania and across Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, many still struggle to make a decent living. For instance, in Rwanda, agriculture makes up over 30% of the country's GDP, but most farmers work on less than one hectare of land. They face challenges such as limited access to quality seeds, credit, farming advice, and reliable markets. Many depend on costly middlemen to sell their crops. The problem worsens after harvest; many farmers spend most of their income immediately, leaving little for savings or future investments. In Tanzania, surveys show that up to 70% of smallholder farmers spend over 80% of their harvest income within three months, pushing them back into debt before the next season.

This challenge is amplified by a lack of digital access and the increasing threat of climate change, which undermines traditional farming methods. According to recent data, food insecurity remains a significant issue in the region, with millions lacking consistent access to nutritious food. In the face of unpredictable weather patterns and extreme events, resilient and sustainable agricultural practices are no longer a choice but a necessity for survival.

Meanwhile, digital tools that could help farmers are often out of reach. In 2023, only 27% of mobile users in Sub-Saharan Africa accessed mobile internet, and smartphone penetration in Tanzania is about 35%. This means most farmers still use basic feature phones, not internet-enabled devices. To break this cycle, farmers need solutions that work with what they already have. That's where USSD comes in.

USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) is a simple mobile technology that works on all phones, even basic feature phones. By dialing shortcodes like *123# farmers can access menus to save money, buy seeds and fertilizers, receive farming tips, or make payments all without the internet or apps.

USSD offers a low-cost, inclusive ag-tech solution that bridges the digital divide for rural farmers, enabling last-mile digital finance and climate-smart micro-investment without requiring internet access or smartphones. This makes it ideal for rural areas where internet access is low and smartphones are scarce. Across Africa, USSD is already used for mobile banking, bill payments, and crop insurance. At HERVeg.05, we use it to reach farmers directly and make essential services simple and accessible.

After registering through our village agent, farmers are given a unique ID number that identifies them individually. With this ID, they can start paying for their package including 5 or 10 one month fully vaccinated SASSO chickens, vegetable and biofortified maize seeds immediately from anywhere, with any amount they have, and it takes less than a minute to get started. If they sell some harvest or earn from a side job, they can easily put part of that money toward their layaway using USSD, which is free and has no extra cost. Farmers often feel empowered and relieved because the process is so simple and quick, giving them control over their farming plans. This one-minute USSD interaction empowers farmers to take control of their financial planning, enabling flexible micro-payments toward climate-resilient input bundles laying the foundation for long-term food security and economic stability.

This simple process is a key part of our theory of change: by providing flexible, accessible savings and payment options, we empower farmers to invest in quality inputs that directly lead to improved yields, better nutrition, and increased income, breaking the cycle of poverty and food insecurity.

While USSD brings inclusion, challenges remain:

We are actively refining menus, integrating SMS follow-ups, and piloting chatbot technologies to complement USSD, enhancing farmer interaction and autonomy.

Our long-term vision is to scale this model to reach 50,000 farmers across new regions in Tanzania within the next three years. This will be achieved by leveraging our proven village agent network and forging strategic partnerships with mobile operators and agricultural input suppliers. We will also introduce new, climate-smart bundles featuring drought-resistant seeds and more efficient irrigation tools to directly combat the effects of climate change.

Even though more people are getting smartphones, many farmers still cannot afford them or don't know how to use them. This means USSD will stay an important tool for farming for many years. HERVeg.05 shows that simple tools can still make a big difference in people's lives. In the future, the platform could give farmers useful information like crop prices, weather updates, insurance options, new seeds, and tips from other farmers.

For donors, policymakers, and private sector players, the call is clear: support USSD-powered platforms as an effective bridge to climate-smart farming, digital finance, and equitable access. Together, we can ensure no farmer is left behind in the digital revolution.