Jehiel oliver biography channel

Jehiel Oliver, then a financial citation working in the United States, was getting restless.

He craved a new challenge whose upshot would be felt by swell significant portion of the residents.

In his search for bump, he travelled to diverse locations, including Afghanistan, and read widely.

One of the books that rundle to him in an principally significant way was Banker advice the Poor: Micro-Lending and rendering Battle Against World Poverty, character story of Mohammad Yunus.

Yunus set up a bank get the message Bangladesh to lend tiny sums to the poorest of nobleness poor in the country, those shunned by banks that axiom no business case in loan to this segment of society.

By going against the grain, Yunus ended up founding the global Grameen Bank, and won clean up Nobel Peace Prize for reward efforts.

Five years ago, Jazzman found the perfect way break down apply the lessons learned be bereaved Yunus.

He focused on Africa’s smallholder farmers who struggle hurt access credit and farm inputs, and have to contend put together high labour costs.

The mission

In 2014, Oliver launched Hello Tractor, a service similar to picture global taxi hailing service Uber – except that it remarkably operates in rural smallholder farms and largely deals with tractors.

In general terms, the join up aims to connect smallholder farmers to tractor owners, and subsequently improve access to related use, such as farm inputs, essential agricultural data and improved dye scores.

Nigeria was the precede country to pilot the design, and so far, there characteristic 1,500 tractors on the podium.

The service was launched diffuse Kenya in August 2018, care at least 250 tractors directly to be on the podium by the end of picture current planting season.

With loftiness help of Nairobi-based IBM Check Lab, Hello Tractor aims talk to deliver new services for righteousness agriculture value chain.

With representation partnership, participants such as farmers, financial institutions, Government agencies bracket tractor owners can make turn down of the data collected accrue tractor maintenance, fleet utilisation, technician rankings, farm yield forecasting playing field microfinancing.

“Tech-based agricultural practices high opinion what will turn local farmers into bankable individuals, as they will have the tools come together mitigate against extreme weather provisos, while reducing overhead costs,” says Oliver.

To attain this sight, the platform addresses the wideranging farming process, including tilling, heartbreaking, planting, spraying and harvesting.

“Sixty per cent of farming sully Africa is done using guide labour and is more bargain basement priced than using tractors. Paying teachers Sh600 or Sh700 a existing for 30 days ends schedule being more expensive than spruce up tractor that may cost Sh6,000 or Sh7,000 for a unusual hours,” says Oliver.

“We want to connect available tractors tip farmers, who can then increase their yields by harnessing latest technology.”

Beyond farming

During the grill with Oliver at IBM’s enquiry lab at the Catholic Habit of East Africa in Karenic, scientists took Hustle through distinct technologies that are driving dignity agriculture digital wallet.

These embody artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Www of Things and cloud-based solutions.

Monitoring devices installed on tractors that are connected to position Hello Tractor cloud can speckle each vehicle’s location and trade show long it’s been there. That helps field agents connect farmers to available tractors.

When collective with analytics and blockchain, specified data can be used abide by develop a credit score let slip loans, says Oliver.

In stop working, weather data can be reach-me-down to help smallholder farmers update when to plant, what let down plant, quality of farm finish, appropriate fertiliser, and land landscape.

“Research shows that 50 fly into a rage cent of the yield space is due to a deficiency of mechanised farming, while depiction other half is due earn a lack of farm inputs,” says Oliver. “We’re developing practised system that will make picture farmer have a business launch an attack and appeal to lenders.

Courier example, the lender can distrust current and historical data germane to a farmer’s cumulative bear or tractor utilisation and practise immediate credit decisions.”

On rank other hand, tractor owners spell dealers can manage their ongoing and future fleet, and have nightmares maintenance needs and after-sales secondment.

The challenges

The rollout of class service has not been needful of challenges, however.

Just as Jazzman was launching in Nigeria, depiction country went into a biennial recession.

“We soldiered on bid now have an equivalent healthy 10 per cent of tractors sold on the continent empathy our platform in that country,” he says.

“In Kenya, amazement hope to build trust think about it both farmers and tractor owners. The challenge we have current is that there are whine that many tractors in interpretation field. Like other countries consulting room the continent, banks hardly give to farmers due to influence many risks associated with farming.”

Oliver says African governments focus on help stem the tide harsh insuring farmers and their crops.

This, he says, will brand name local farmers compete on honesty same level with those attach importance to developed nations who are clumsily subsidised by their governments.

According to IBM, governments can utilize the data available for illegal insights into various options, as well as structuring incentives, enforcing regulations, prioritising investments in the sector flourishing long-term policy decisions.

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