Hailing from Mayuge district, Viola Nakadama is 22-years-old Uganda, social entrepreneur passionate about empowering farmers through use of technology in farming, Winner of Women Agriprenuer of the Year Awards Regional category East Africa 2024(WAYA), YALI alumni 2023, winner of YPARD youth agribusiness hackathon 2023. The rising young leader holds an advanced diploma in Organic Agriculture and practices and has served as a peer extension service officer and an active community based trainer in Village Farmers groups in Mayuge District. Viola is committed and passionate about agriculture, technology, changing peopleโs lives, income and increasing food security through improved farming practices in rural Uganda. Sheโs committed to changing the mindset that most people are having towards the agriculture value chain, she believes through sensitization and training of rural populations on the health, financial and environmental benefits of high quality farm inputs. A mission to empower smallholder farmers sparked Viola’s desire to start Essymart Africa together with colleagues. She sees herself as a capable innovator, job creator and as a young woman who can succeed even in tough situations.
Essymart is an Agritech platform that revolutionizes how farmers connect to 1. Agri inputs (Seed, fertilizer & pesticides, Equipment) where farmers experience 10%-15% saving in direct cost related to seed fertilizer insecticides & other inputs, Wide range of best Agri inputs from trusted sources, and get recommendation of right dosage and input based on profile & historical cropping pattern, 2. Crop advisory (Up to 40% increment in farm productivity, Customized crop advisory calls in local language, One on One interaction with experts on voice calls, On farm query resolution through Essymart service providers, 3. Market linkage of produce (Up to 20% better price discovery, Access to better buyer & market, Transparent weighing and payment terms and Communication from buyers to grow niche crop and variety as per market demand. By using Web Application, common SMS technologies and telephone calls, Essymart started to show positive results, improving access to information, increasing productivity and farm incomes, and helping to reduce poverty among small-scale farmers in Eastern Uganda.
