What needs are you answering with GreenHope and how did your entrepreneurial adventure begin?<\/strong><\/p>\n Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric: With my partner Aim\u00e9 Kabor\u00e9, we realized that farmers tend to use low-quality fertilizers or use them in insufficient quantities. These bad practices decrease their profitability and have negative consequences on the environment. Moreover, we noticed that farmers have very limited access to credit due to their risk profiles and the high interest rates applied to them.<\/p>\n To counter these issues, we created a digital platform, YOLSE, which supports producers on their professionalization path and provides them with a credit repayment guarantee<\/strong> with financial institutions. To achieve this, we use mobile money<\/strong>: a system used by 60% of the Burkinabe population and that allows farmers to subscribe to loans or save money through a tontines system. By positioning ourselves as guarantors of producers with financial institutions, the latter become more inclined to lend to farmers. On YOLSE, members can also benefit from agricultural consulting services<\/strong> provided by agronomists to promote good agricultural practices and protect producers against the risk of price variations. Other solutions are also available such as contractualization services between farmers and manufacturers.<\/p>\n How did you manage to familiarize farmers with digital services? <\/strong><\/p>\n Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric: YOLSE\u2019s mechanism is based on habits and instinctive tools such as imagery boxes. However, at the beginning, it was a challenge because several private companies had defrauded the producers who became reluctant to using digital services. We had to be very convincing and prove our added value in order to get producers to join the platform. We have deployed representatives in the field who are from the villages concerned and who are our focal points. We make sure that these representatives are resource persons that are heard within the villages. We base all our activities on the villagers\u2019 habits.<\/p>\n How has the AFIDBA program helped you?<\/strong><\/p>\n AFIDBA has helped us scale up through communication, reduced implementation costs and access to the market. With AFIDBA, we\u2019ve managed to develop a new scoring system to identify two types of producers: those who face difficulties in accessing markets and those who need inputs.<\/p>\n Through the different meetings and experience feedbacks organized, La Fabrique and AFIDBA have also enabled us to develop advocacy programs for Burkinabe entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n