Forward contracts between Botswana farmers and millers
Botswana produces only 10% of its grain demand locally, forcing millers to rely on imports and placing national food security at constant risk.
HarvestLink is a mobile-first marketplace where millers post grain requirements and farmers bid or accept forward contracts. The platform manages contracts, quality verification via phone camera, escrow payments through Flutterwave, and GPS delivery tracking to reduce risk for both parties.
Botswana milling industry leaders, agricultural policymakers, and government food security planners
On-device computer vision quality grading at delivery that instantly settles quality disputes and builds trust between parties
supportive
Millers create detailed grain requirement posts with volume, quality specs and price
Algorithm matches millers with nearby farmers based on history and reliability
Digital forward contracts with e-signatures and milestones
TensorFlow Lite model grades grain quality from phone photos
Flutterwave-powered payments released upon verified delivery
GPS tracking and proof-of-delivery photos
Mutual ratings and performance history for all participants
Cooperatives can bid as single entities
Historical pricing and volume trends
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| phone | text | No |
| role | text | No |
| full_name | text | No |
| location_district | text | No |
| verified | bool | No |
| created_at | timestamp | No |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| miller_id | uuid | No |
| farmer_id | uuid | No |
| volume_tons | int | No |
| price_per_ton | int | No |
| delivery_window | timestamp | No |
| status | text | No |
| escrow_id | text | Yes |
Relationships:
| Column | Type | Nullable |
|---|---|---|
| id | uuid | No |
| contract_id | uuid | No |
| delivered_amount | int | No |
| quality_score | int | Yes |
| gps_coordinates | text | Yes |
| completed_at | timestamp | Yes |
Relationships:
/api/demandsCreate new buying request from miller
/api/contractsCreate or accept contract
/api/quality/scanSubmit grain photos for AI grading
/api/payments/webhookHandle Flutterwave escrow events
Maximum 3 active contracts
For millers and larger cooperatives
For large milling groups
| Month | Users | Conversion | MRR | ARR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 80 | 22% | $616 | $7,392 |
| Month 6 | 420 | 31% | $4,550 | $54,600 |
Forward contracts with built-in quality verification and secure payments. Designed for Botswana millers and farmers.
Visit the monthly Farmer-Miller Forum in Gaborone to onboard first 8 millers and 15 cooperatives with hands-on training. Offer free Pro access for first 3 months to any miller who brings two farmer groups. Partner with the Botswana Farmers Union to promote via their WhatsApp groups and extension officers.
Strong in West Africa markets
No quality scanning or escrow payments
Botswana-specific UX and computer vision quality tool
Network effects from growing farmer and miller reputation database plus proprietary quality grading dataset
Mobile money penetration above 75% in Botswana combined with new government emphasis on contract farming creates perfect conditions
Farmers may be reluctant to use smartphones for contracting
Build simple USSD fallback and train extension officers as agents
Contract enforceability in rural areas
Partner with legal aid organizations to create standardized templates recognized by local courts
Success: Clear demand for forward contracts with quality assurance
Success: At least 12 successful contracts completed
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