The StartUp Innovation:  Creation of an agricultural online platform that will fill the lack of information to organize cultivation with maximum efficiency and minimum costs and risks, will ensure the availability of seeds, seedlings, saplings, processing tools and land on one platform and will create the possibility of their online purchase, as well as will help to make an estimate of costs and implement a forecast of expected income.

In the framework of AgriThon2 we talked with Seda Shahinyan, the coordinator of the “eAgriculture” startup project.

The eAgriculture team also participated in the first incubation stage of AgriThon 1, but due to not fully meeting the jury’s requirements, it was not included in the next stages. Participating in AgriThon2, the team members had meetings with the AgriThon team, mentors and jury members. As a result of further development of the startup idea, the team succeeded and was included in the list of finalists of AgriThon2.

Participation in AgriThon2 Incubations           

• Participation in the Incubations of AgriThon2 implemented within the framework of the AGRI CAMP Program played a very important role in the development of our project. Our cooperation with mentors and trainers greatly contributed to that. As a result, we developed our pitching skills, expanded our marketing knowledge, and began to value our startup more accurately.
• The AgriThon team also organized field visits and exchange meetings for us, which were key to perfecting our idea and taking it to market.

The startup is to solve the following problems:               

• It is known that one of the reasons for the low efficiency of agriculture is the cultivation of unprofitable crops due to lack of knowledge of available information, as well as the existing problems in the market of seeds and seedlings. In addition, most farmers do not provide the necessary financial calculations.
• Our goal is to contribute to the solution of these problems, as well as to facilitate the entry of young and novice farmers into agriculture, which will contribute to the introduction of innovative methods and more efficient organization of agriculture.
• Thanks to our product, the client will have the opportunity to purchase or rent land from the online platform, as well as to buy seeds, seedlings and saplings of plants suitable for the climate and soil of that land. The information about most profitable and effective crops for different regions will be actively shared on the platform. After purchasing the seed, the client will receive comprehensive information on its processing. Video lessons will be organized, as well as seed processing tools will be offered.
• In addition, through the online platform, the customer will get an idea about the risks, price, cost and income of growing the given crop. After making the purchase a table of initial calculations will be automatically created and saved in the customer’s account.
• The platform will also be interesting for armatures – those who like to grow plants. For example, those who want to decorate the private garden with useful and unique decorative plants and flowers can also use this platform.
• Thus, the online platform offered by us will fill the lack of information to organize cultivation with maximum efficiency and minimum costs and risks, will ensure the availability of seeds, seedlings, saplings, processing tools and plots of land on one platform and will create the possibility of their online purchase, make an estimate of costs and help forecast expected income.

Stages of the startup project implementation

• It will take 4-5 months to finalize the website.
• During the first months, we will work with the audience, attracting 900 customers per month to the Facebook page.
• We will create content on the cultivation of plants and their profitability.
• Through advertisements, we will increase our recognition and visibility and will increase our credibility.
• After the creation of the website, we will start implementing SEO marketing.
• Through paid traffic from Facebook, we predict to have 5560 monthly visits to our website, which we plan to increase to 8560 with organic searches.

Team members: Seda Shahinyan (team coordinator), Mels Arabyan, Alvard Nikoghosyan

Address of the startup: Yerevan

 

AgriThon is a competition/platform for startup ideas with innovative solutions in the field of agriculture, implemented by the ICARE-Armenia Foundation within the framework of the USAID-funded AGRI CAMP Program.

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