Q&A with Attah’Ebwa Musa Anzaku: Discussing YieldPro and its Impact on Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

By Tejumade Olaniyi

Founder Profile

Attah’Ebwa Musa Anzaku is a visionary leader, Founder, and Executive Director for Partnerships and Stakeholder Management at AgroEknor Ltd, the Parent Company of YieldPro, with over 12 years of experience in the agricultural and business sectors. As the Executive Director, Attah is pivotal in expanding AgroEknor’s presence into the MENA and NAFTA regions, leveraging his expertise in partnerships and stakeholder management. His commitment to fostering sustainable relationships with local communities and businesses ensures that AgroEknor’s operations align harmoniously with the interests of those they serve. AgroEknor, in recent times, launched YieldPro, a tech-enabled repository for farmers and farming yields.

Attah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, and a Master’s in Gas Engineering and Management from the University of Salford, United Kingdom. He also possesses a technical certificate in Oil and Gas Operational Safety (NEBOSH). Recognised for his authoritative insight in business management and strategic thinking, Attah is professionally admired for his innovative spirit and visionary leadership.

This Q&A session dives into his startupYieldPro learning about their technology and how they are sustainably increasing the farm yields of smallholder farmers.

The FutureList: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind YieldPro tech and why the focus is on agriculture?

A: The inspiration behind Agroecknor and our focus on agriculture, stems from the critical need to improve yield and ensure traceability within the agricultural value chain. We recognise that certain markets demand these qualities, and it’s challenging to compete or expand without them.

This led to the development of YieldPro, a tool we’ve created and are actively using to address these challenges. YieldPro is a comprehensive database where we collect and manage farmers’ data, including their farming practices and general agricultural information. By doing this, we aim to enhance yield, promote sustainable farming practices, and ensure traceability. This traceability is crucial, as it lets us know exactly what inputs are being used and where they originate from, ensuring transparency and quality throughout the process.

YieldPro is essential to our business, supporting our mission to foster sustainable and efficient agricultural practices, which in turn, aids in improving the overall productivity and viability of the farming sector.

The FutureList: Can you elaborate on how YieldPro’s technology harnesses farm data to help certain agricultural processes?

A: YieldPro is designed to meticulously monitor and collect data on various farming conditions that directly impact crop yield. Unlike tools that focus on measuring environmental conditions like rainfall, YieldPro zeroes in on the specific agricultural practices of farmers, helping them optimise every step of the process.

Example: Imagine a farmer named Madam Stella, who owns a 1.25-hectare plot in Lagos within the Epe local government area. She starts planting crops, and YieldPro tracks every detail of her farming activities. In the first week, she plants 100 ridges, with three seeds per hole, spaced three meters apart. The tool then continues to monitor her actions—watering schedules, fertiliser application, and so on—throughout the growing season.

When it’s time to harvest, YieldPro allows us to analyze all this data to pinpoint areas where improvements could be made. It’s akin to seeing a doctor for a thorough diagnosis rather than just treating symptoms with a quick fix. By understanding exactly what’s happening at each stage of the farming process, we can make precise adjustments to boost yield and enhance traceability.

This detailed data monitoring not only improves crop yield but also strengthens the business relationship between us and the farmers. Better traceability ensures continuity in our operations, while increased yields mean farmers like Madam Stella can earn more. Ultimately, YieldPro is about maximising efficiency and profitability for everyone involved in the agricultural value chain.

The FutureList: Could you share examples of how YieldPro technology has helped farmers reduce waste in agricultural production? Overall, what has been your market impact so far?

A: YieldPro is a relatively new technology that we’ve primarily used in-house to fine-tune our processes and understand its full potential before expanding its use. We initially focused on onboarding farmers and collecting essential data such as their bio-data, land size, and farming practices. This phase was crucial for laying the groundwork for more comprehensive monitoring and waste reduction strategies. So far, YieldPro has data on about 5000 farmers.

Although we have just started extending YieldPro’s capabilities to private individuals, there have been positive testimonials from those who have used the tool. However, it’s important to note that YieldPro is still in its early stages of wider application. We are now moving into the next phase, where we will monitor farming processes more closely, helping farmers reduce waste by optimising their use of resources throughout the growing season.

In terms of market impact, YieldPro’s potential extends beyond just monitoring farming activities. For example, it can be used by state governments or cooperatives to onboard large numbers of farmers, gather critical data, and streamline processes like loan distribution or fertilizer allocation. This capability is particularly valuable in regions like the North West and North Central geopolitical zones of Nigeria, where we are currently focusing our efforts.

By offering a cloud-based database for such large-scale operations, YieldPro not only helps reduce waste in agricultural production but also enhances efficiency and transparency. Although we are still in the early phases, the technology is poised to make a significant impact as we continue to expand its application and refine its features.

The FutureList: What is YieldPro’s plan or objective concerning their agriculture focus?

A: The futuristic plan for YieldPro revolves around expanding the tool’s application beyond our current use to serve a broader range of institutions. Our goal is to offer YieldPro as a service to various organisations, including government bodies, private companies, and grant donors, such as foundations like MasterCard.

These institutions might require comprehensive data management and traceability services for large groups of farmers. For instance, a foundation supporting 18,000 farmers could utilise YieldPro to conduct Know Your Customer (KYC) processes, ensuring accurate traceability and monitoring of farming activities.

Ultimately, our objective is to leverage YieldPro to enhance traceability and yield improvement on a larger scale, making it an essential tool for anyone involved in the agricultural value chain who needs reliable, data-driven insights to optimize their operations.

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