Innovation is key to the success of online technologies, and last week marked yet another success of Agronavti Application - first Agrobusiness Digital created by Georgian Farmers’ Association (GFA) through support from USAID Zrda. This super popular mobile match-making platform received a 100,000 GEL award from Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency to facilitate AI integration into the application to ensure all operating modules become accessible for both local and international markets.

Of note, this customer-focused initiative received incremental investments to help agribusinesses increase their income by 30 percent provided they leverage a well thought out business 2 plan executed by a skilled management team.

In 2017, USAID Zrda and Georgian Farmers’ Association, in partnership with the Georgian Farmers' Distribution Company (GFDC) and the Adjara Hospitality Group, established a mobile match-making platform "Agronavti” to support farmers in selling their products. It is easy and flexible electronic system, which creates opportunities for accessing new market. By downloading the application, a farmer is able to get information on weekly market prices established for agro products, research and innovations in agriculture, local weather forecast, land auctions announced by the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development production of over 60 crops, trade fairs and exhibitions etc. This mobile application charges commission to up to 5,500 of its users on all sales transactions to cover the platform's operations and maintenance costs and ensure its sustainability. GFDC currently collects and distributes a wide variety of Georgian agricultural products to Adjara Hospitality Group hotels and restaurants, including a significant amount of goods produced in the Zrda-target communities. To-date, the value of total sales generated by the company and its farmers living in the Zrda-target areas reached $4.4 million.