Farmerline is not the only social enterprise specialised in the development of web platforms and mobile applications in order to disseminate and collect agricultural data to/from smallholder farmers. There are two (2) main other social enterprises that offer kind of the same services.
Comparing Farmerline with the competitors can be done by using a SWOT-Analysis. SWOT stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. The two active (Esoko and mFarms) mobile SMS applications try to provide content for the farmers and measure impact via surveys. There is a small problem because, these options do not account for the high illiteracy rate among the smallholder farmer population in a country like Ghana. SMS price alerts, weather updates, input supply, and distribution network connections are not effective if the recipients cannot read them. The second differentiator is that, these platforms were created and mostly attached to NGOs implementing projects, rather than focusing their impact directly on farmers.
In this section these two (2) competitors of Farmerline are compared with the use of a SWOT-analysis.
Strengths
Farmerline is the only enterprise between its competitors that use weather stations located on the African continent. Also it is the only service that provides their customers twice a day with weather forecasts. The weather forecast is geo referenced to their farm, so customers get the optimal weather data applicable for their farm. On top of that, the service they provide can be sent in every language globally. Farmerline provides
SMS, voice-call, their call-in tool offers people a simple method to access information about agricultural, financial, input and equipment services on demand. Farmerline is the only company operating in five (5) countries.
Weaknesses
There are some parts where Farmerline can learn from their competitors. Both of their competitors have a digital marketplace. For example, mFarms has The agro-input dealer module that is developed to strengthen the linkages among agro-input supply chain actors. Their module provides a platform for agro-input dealers/retailers, importers of fertilisers, agro-chemicals, and seed producers to interact with the use of cell phone; SMS, interactive voice responses services. Also Esoko has a call-centre to which farmers can call to explain their problem and agro experts at the call-centre explains the farmers what to do. This is what Farmerline does not have, a call-centre. However, Farmerline thinks that, to operate at such a scale they need good experts to sit at the call centre and answer the phones, which at the moment they do not have. Also if many farmers call at the same time, their call cannot be answered and they have to wait. Time is money, which farmers cannot afford.
Opportunity
Farmerline is the only participant from the competitors to launch the TAHMO initiative. Together with their partners, Farmerline will contribute to the school2school program which is part of the TAHMO initiative. They will teach students of the school2school program about sensor design, the sensor which is in the weather stations can be easily repaired by the students themselves when it gets broken. Also students get classes about climate change and what kind of impact it has on their life. This is what other competitors do not have. The students that will be top of the class could join Farmerline eventually. Or if they become farmers after all, they will know Farmerline. Since the changes of picking the known company are high, the student will become a client in the future. In a more short term, the students can tell their families about Farmerline and achieve the same goal.
Threats
Farmerline does many things to be in the top segment. The only thing they do not have which could become a threat is the virtual marketplace where supplier meets demand in a very effective way. However, Farmerline is working on this one, and tries to create the perfect virtual environment to put it in the market. One other thing is that mFarms is building an online guidebook for farmers to teach them how to farm on a very effective way. This could form a threat because Farmerline only teaches farmers how to farm during a workshop.