Fingerprint Biometrics for Farmer Identification Management

Every year, Kenya exports coffee all over the world. They are one of the world’s leading coffee exporters. Some Kenyan coffee farms are so good at their work that they’ve been approved by leading global brands like Starbucks.

Coffee isn’t like other food crops in Kenya. Some of the coffee trees date back over 300 years. It is viewed as a money crop, and it’s believed that if a farmer can master it, he’ll be able to transform his life forever.

Farmers must spend a significant amount of money in order to cultivate coffee. Seeds, fertilizers, and other supplies are costly, and many farmers cannot afford them. As a result, they seek micro-financing from local societies. Farmers are given loans depending on their expected harvest for the next season by local societies. Farmers spend the funds on what they need to cultivate high-quality coffee. Once the crops are ready, farmers collect their revenue and repay their loans.

Kenyan societies that deal with micro-financing have to manage their operations through a complex and risky process. Farmers are constantly moving from one community to the next, so it can be challenging to keep track of things. In this scenario, traditional “pen and paper” profiling systems aren’t as effective. Lenders require a more up-to-date solution. Many people use digital databases to keep track of the farmers’ personal financial information. They can also store and access centralized data in regards to production yield. With the new digital tools, lenders can make informed decisions to ensure the safe return of the loan.

To solve this problem, one must combine fingerprint biometrics to their current system, which is driven by the Automated Biometrics Identification System. M2SYS designed a biometric solution that can be supported by any current system. Following are some of the advantages of using a biometric solution:

• It is no longer necessary to preserve manual identification records of farmers with picture IDs since they now have digital records. Instead, all of the identity data is stored in the cloud, which is both digital and safe.
• Using Sentinel, farmers may now be identified more easily than ever before. Farmers can be identified in minutes using any fingerprint scanner.
• Keeping farmer information on paper takes time and generates a trail of paperwork. Thanks to fingerprint biometrics, each farmer’s information is linked to their biometric data and can be retrieved with a single click.

This allows loan providers to see the complete profile of the farmer and his history, ensuring risk-free loan authorization. The application can also notify farmers on their mobiles once the loan has been approved. M2SYS eGov allows farmers to check their repayment status and outstanding amount.

With the help of M2SYS eGov, companies can now predict their upcoming seasonal ROI. In addition, they can project the expected financial value and quantity of harvest.