Senegal farm management software: Agrico, Geofarmer, Hectar compared (2026)

Farm management software: critical choice for 5-500 ha farms in 2026

In Senegal, 95% of farms < 5 ha operate without software (handwritten notebook, sometimes Excel). The 5% of medium-large farms (5-500 ha: Grands Domaines du Sénégal, SODAGRI, SAED perimeters, private river valley farms, peri-urban Niayes farms) start to equip themselves in 2026.

West Africa agri software market 2026: ~12-22 M USD. Estimated growth +28%/year through 2030.

Five software tested over the past 14 months on 6 Kolonell client farms (yield improved average +18%, input costs reduced -12%, traceability ×4). Here is the honest comparison.

H2: The 5 functions to require

(1) Plot mapping + crop history. GPS farm zoning, year-by-year cropping plan, crop rotation, fallows.

(2) Input tracking. Seeds, fertilizers (NPK, urea), phytosanitary products (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides), irrigation water. Stock + traceability + dose / ha.

(3) Cost + sales tracking. Labor, mechanization, fuel, equipment rental, sales by lot with buyer and price.

(4) Yield + margin calculation / plot. Essential to decide: continue this plot / change crop / abandon.

(5) NDVI satellite imagery. Vegetation index, early detection of water stress or disease. Ideal for farms > 10 ha.

H2: The comparison

Agrico (France, web + mobile).

• Price: 39-149 EUR / month by hectares (≈ 25-95 KFCFA).
• Strengths: ergonomic UI, included NDVI, offline mobile sync (useful rural areas).
• Weaknesses: optimized for European cereal field cropping, few tropical crops (mango, peanut).
• Support: email FR + chat. No Senegal presence.
• Verdict: suitable for river valley rice farms + modern horticulture.

Geofarmer (Germany / multi-country).

• Price: 49-220 EUR / month.
• Strengths: very strong on satellite imagery (Sentinel-2 + optional Planet Labs), integrated AI agronomic advice, multi-language including French.
• Weaknesses: high price for Senegalese SMEs, 3-5 weeks learning curve.
• Support: multilingual portal, 2h included video training.
• Verdict: large farms (> 80 ha) with high added value (export horticulture, river valley).

Hectar (France, mobile-first).

• Price: 22-65 EUR / month.
• Strengths: mobile-first (field-adapted UX, sufficient 3G signal), voice input (time gain), affordable rate.
• Weaknesses: no included NDVI (paid option), limited advanced cost accounting.
• Support: Discord community + email.
• Verdict: best option for 5-30 ha Senegal SMEs (Niayes, peri-urban).

Ekylibre (France, open source).

• Price: free self-hosted OR 25-75 EUR / month SaaS.
• Strengths: open source (no vendor lock-in), complete tax accounting, active community.
• Weaknesses: aging UI, self-hosted deployment requires IT skills (devops).
• Support: community forum, integrator providers charge.
• Verdict: technically mature cooperatives, agriculture NGOs.

Promété (Senegal, hybrid).

• Price: 8,000 - 35,000 FCFA / month (≈ 12-55 EUR).
• Strengths: locally designed, French + Wolof support, Wave / Orange Money payment, includes local crops (millet, sorghum, peanut, cowpea).
• Weaknesses: no satellite imagery, basic mobile (not robust offline), 4-person support team (sometimes latency).
• Support: WhatsApp + Dakar phone.
• Verdict: small-medium francophone Senegal farms, cooperatives.

H2: 2026 decision matrix

H2: Typical observed ROI

On 6 Kolonell farms equipped between May 2024 and May 2026:

• Average yield. +12 to +24% (median +18%) thanks to stress detection, fertilizer dose optimization, piloted irrigation.
• Input costs. -8 to -18% (median -12%) thanks to precise dosing + better purchase planning.
• Post-harvest losses. -22 to -35% thanks to lot traceability + sales planning.
• Administrative time. -45 to -65% (real-time field input replaces office re-entry).
• Customer payment delay. -25 to -40% thanks to fast invoices + delivery notes.

Cumulative year 1 ROI: 8-22x annual software price.

FAQ

How to train field team without tablet?

Three options: (1) low-cost Android smartphone (35-65 KFCFA / unit), 80% apps run, (2) rugged tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro (180-280 KFCFA, waterproof, shockproof, readable in full sunlight), recommended team leader, (3) paper + weekly office re-entry, acceptable transition but 20-30% software benefit loss.

What internet connectivity in rural farms?

Orange Sonatel 4G coverage: 92% SAED perimeters + Niayes + Mbour, 78% South Casamance, 65% Tambacounda area. Backup solution: external Yagi antenna (4G boost) + Mikrotik router. For white zones: Starlink (from March 2025 Senegal, 280-450 KFCFA / month). Software with offline mode (Hectar, Agrico) remain usable if data synced every 4-12h.

Is free software enough to start?

Well-structured Excel / Google Sheets covers 60% of needs for farms < 10 ha. Model 4 tabs (plots, inputs, costs, sales). Limit: no GPS mapping, no NDVI, no robust field mobile. Recommendation: 6 months Sheets then migration to dedicated software when revenue > 8 M FCFA / year.

Is NDVI satellite imagery useful in West Africa?

Yes for plots > 5 ha. NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) via free Sentinel-2 reveals water stress 7-14 days before visible sign. Typical ROI: early disease / drought detection + rapid intervention = +8-15% yield. For < 5 ha: weekly manual observation enough, NDVI superfluous.

How to avoid vendor lock-in?

Four rules: (1) require CSV / Excel data export at any time, (2) avoid > 12 month commitment contract, (3) prioritize open source solutions if IT competence (Ekylibre), (4) monthly backup export on proprietary Drive / Dropbox. If vendor closes or explodes price, migration possible in 4-8 weeks.

Let's talk about your case

If you want to equip your farm or agricultural cooperative with management software, we accompany choice + deployment + training. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.