Connected Farmer_DMS

Connected Farmer Solution

A mobile phone based solution for agribusiness to interact and transact with smallholder farmers.

Connected Farmer - An Overview

Mezzanine, together with Vodafone, developed a mobile enabled solution to mitigate the risk for agri-businesses doing business with SHFs.

Connected Farmer utilise readily available, reliable and scalable mobile technology to deliver a comprehensive, yet easy-to-use business management solution for all stakeholders in the agriculture ecosystem.

Connected Farmer is an easy to use mobile phone based enterprise solution for agribusinesses to interact and transact with smallholder farmers.

Key Features

To the Agribusiness:
- Lowers cost & risk involved in transacting with small holder farmers
- Informed decision making with readily available field data
- Increased efficiency, productivity and transparency in the Agriculture value chain (for all stakeholders in the ecosystem)
- Enhanced small holder farmer trust in the Agribusiness system and reduced side selling
- Production increases improves economies of scale
To the Farmer:
- Access to quality information to specific groups of farmers based on farmer and farm profile
- Access to markets – closer and potential new channels
- Access to finance and build transactional history
- Improved income and resilience of farmers

Client Information

Second Line Support useful information: /wiki/spaces/MSFC/overview

Third Line Support Contact Details: Mezzanineware

Frequently Asked Questions: KENYA

Webportal FAQ's

Question	Description/ Answer
How do I log into the Web Portal	SVS Web Portal .pdf
How do I reset My password	How to reset a password on Helium.pdf

Frequently Asked Questions: Mpesa Payments

	Question	Answer
1.	If paid using MPESA, between the company and the farmer who will be charged the withdrawal charges?	The farmer will be charged the standard MPESA withdrawal charges.
2.	How long will the payment take from the point of delivery at the buying center through the MPESA platform?	Payment will happen between 0 – 10 minutes after transaction. In case you don’t receive payment in that time, call or go to the buyer who bought your crops.
3.	Can a farmer use a non Safaricom line?	No, the service is only available for Safaricom customers
4.	In case there is a system delay, or poor network, what is the escalation process for the farmer?	In case the farmer does not receive any communication or MPESA payment, call the buyer/Milk Grader who bought your crop. The buyer will then follow up with the relevant office on the cause of the delay.
5.	What if I have not received any SMS communication, e-receipt or MPESA payment in my phone?	If a farmer does not receive any message, first confirm that there is mobile network at the location they are in. If there is no network, should they move to a network area they will receive the messages. In the event that there is network and they have not received any message, they should check their message inbox to see if it is full with messages. If this is the case, the farmer can delete a few of the messages to create space in the inbox. Once this is done the farmer will receive the messages. However, if this is not the case, the farmer needs to confirm the details, including mobile number provided.

Mobile Applications FAQ's

	Question	Description
1.	How to install the application and enroll your device	You will receive a SMS with a URL link. Please make sure you have the best possible internet connection to install the application. Wifi is ideal. Open messages, click on the URL link in the SMS, and select ‘Open link'. Select "Internet" or "Chrome" That will redirect you to a screen like the one on the right. Follow Step 1 to download the app by tapping on the blue button. (#1 screenshot) Monitor the status of the download to ensure it completes successfully - watch the notification bar for progress. (#2 screenshot) Swipe down on the screen to open notification bar. Wait for the download to complete. Then click on the item that has just been downloaded to open the link. Allowing an installation from ‘Unknown sources’. You might receive a warning that the installation is blocked because the application does not originate from the Play Store. Just click on Settings. Then find the “Unknown Sources” option and select that.Agree to Unknown sources by selecting ‘OK’. This will allow an installation from ‘Unknown sources’. You will see a check mark now appears next to the option in your Security Settings menu. The download and installation will continue. Allow access to all required functionality on the device: Just keep pressing Next until the Install option appears in the bottom right-hand corner. Then click on that Install option. The application will now install. Once the App has installed, go back to the Internet / Chrome page in #1 screenshot. Click on step 2 in screenshot #1: "Enroll Device" The application will open with your personal enrollment details.
2.	How to monitor and force synchronization	From your device home screen navigate to your application. In the top right hand corner of the screen click on the two arrows that form a circle. The sync arrows will turn while it is syncing. It will turn green momentarily when syncing completed successfully. When the sync is not successful the sync arrows will stop without turning green.
3.	How to clear application data on the device	Navigate to “Settings” Scroll down and click on “Application manager” Now scroll down until you find your application Once found Click on the application At the bottom click on “Clear data” and wait 10 seconds Now you can exit the “Application manager”, re-open your application and login Now you need to re-enrol your device, please send an email to support@mezzanineware.com to receive your enrolment link.
4.	How do I work with a Smart Phone	Please go navigate to the link below: Mobile Device Related Support
5.	Do farmers need to buy the smartphones to enjoy the services of the platform?	No. Farmers can enjoy the platform services using the phones they have which can also be as basic as the ‘mulika mwizi’. For older phone, please remember to make space in your SMS inbox to receive new SMS's.
6.	Does the farmer get charged to receive sms?	No, the Agribusiness where the farmer is registered will pay for all outgoing SMS to farmers. It is called Reverse Billing
7.	The User sees double data on the app when he is checking his deliveries summary.	Ask the User to synchronize the device, exit the application and when opening the application the user should synchronize the device again.

Frequently asked Questions: SA

WebPortal FAQ's

Question

Description/ Answer

1.

How do I log into your Web Portal

Helium Web Portal .pdf

How do I reset My password

How to reset a password on helium.pptx

Step 1: Go to the web log in page
Step 2: Click on "Can't access your account?"
Step 3: Type your mobile number starting with "27xxxx"
Step 4: Click on "Reset password"
Step 5: Receive an sms on your phone
Step 6: Go back to the desktop fill in your mobile number and the new password you have received via sms
Step 7: Click on "Sign in"
Step 8: You will be redirected to your profile to change your password to something familiar for future log in.

2.

The correct format of uploading a CSV file on DMS production. Find attach the template.

sirikwaaaa (4) (4).csv

Mobile Application FAQ's

	Question	Description/ Answer
1.	Is the Vodacom Connected Farmer application an "app" for the farmer?	Vodacom Connected Farmer is an Enterprise, or Business Solution and not a consumer app for farmers. Small holder farmers are stakeholders in the solution - receiving content an notifications via SMS to their registered mobile number. In other words, there is no "Vodacom Connected Farmer" app on Google Play Store. The mobile device that can be used for the mobile app must be an Android operating system, version 4.0.0 or higher, with a minimum spec of 1GB RAM.
2.	Do farmers need to buy the smartphones to enjoy the services of the platform?	No. Farmers can enjoy the platform services using the phones they have which can also be a basic feature phone. For older phone, please remember to make space in your SMS inbox to receive new SMS's.
3.	Do I need data to use the application?	No, you do not need data balance to use the application if you have a Vodacom Sim card in the mobile device, as the application was designed not to use the Sim cards' data bundles.
4.	Does the farmer get charged to receive sms?	No, the Agribusiness where the farmer is registered will pay for all outgoing SMS to farmers. It is called Reverse Billing
5.	Can a farmer use a non-Vodacom line?	Yes, the service for farmers are available for non-Vodacom farmer. Mobile users of the application must use a Vodacom Sim card to enjoy the full benefits of the data access of the system.
6.	In case there is a system delay, or poor network, what is the escalation process for the farmer?	In case the farmer does not receive any communication or SMS, contact or call the buyer/Field Officer who you worked with. This employee will then follow up with the relevant support administrator at the office on the cause of the delay. If the Support administrator (1st line support) logs a fault using the Vodacom Support email or call centre, please include the user and farmer mobile numbers to assist in trouble shooting.
7.	How do you synchronize the device?	Open the application At the right hand side of your screen you will see two arrows that forms a circle or see three dots , tap on it and wait for the circles to turn green for 1 second. This means the syncing finishes successfully. It might take up to a few minutes to update and turn green - depending on how long ago the application has synced and how good your data connectivity is. You can click on the circle again once it stopped turning to see if it turns green. The second syncing will be much faster, because it is now up to date. When the circle stops turning immediately and doesn't turn green, it means you do not have network coverage and will not be able to sync. Please make sure your "Mobile Data" is switched ON. Tap on the tree dots for additional device & coverage information.
8.	Can I have the application enrolled on two devices at the same time?	No. The mobile application has a specific enrolment ID, shared by SMS in the link when you were invited to the application as a mobile user. Users can be re-enrolled on a different device or the same mobile number can be assigned to a different user. This is part of Master Admin Training.
9.	What mobile number format works in the system	Please always use the 00 international prefix for inviting users. eg. the if the mobile number is 082142122333, please user this format: 008214212233 without any spaces.
10.	How do I enable mobile data and location settings on my device?	Tap and hold your index finger on the status bar. While still holding your finger on the screen drag your status bar to the bottom of your screen. You should now see your active and in active statuses. When a status is grey out it indicates that it is off, when green it indicates that it is on. Touch the location icon to turn it on. The location icon should now be green. Press and drag your finger from the right to the left of the screen You should now see the Mobile data icon. Touch the Mobile data icon to turn it on.
11.	How to set the date and time of the mobile device?	From your device, navigate to "Settings". Scroll down 'SYSTEM' and click 'Date and Time'. Check the check box so that it displays a green tick next to 'Automatic date and time'.
12.	Farmer has raised an issue whereby farmers are receiving sms that tells them that they have taken a loan product yet they have not. Farmer statement as below: Farmer Statement Date of: 2017-09-21 Statement: 2017-08-31 - 2017-09-30	The reason why loans don't appear on the statement as in example, they were created on the 30 August 2017 and the statement is from the 31 August 2017 ( which is a day after). Please ensure the correct dates were selected when looking at transactions. If these loans were created in error, then this is a user training issue and not a system error.