3DIMO is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa but they are already keen to explore further regional expansion. They have a bold vision to empower farmers globally with data and insights that will ease the monitoring of livestock health and improve animal welfare. We enthusiastically support this vision and here is why:
There is a sizeable market opportunity at the intersection of livestock farming and smart agriculture
- Globally, livestock production accounts for over 40% of agricultural production and we expect the demand for animal products in developing countries to more than double over the next 10 years.
- Livestock farming is a large industry in Africa, the head size of herds in Ethiopia, Sudan and Tanzania are estimated to exceed 100 million cattle.
- In 3DIMO’s home market, South Africa, 69% of the agricultural land is deemed suitable for livestock production, with the sector contributing to 49% of agricultural income.
- Additionally, South Africa has approximately 144,000 livestock farms. 130,800 of which are classed as small-holder farmers and 13,200 are commercial farmers.
- The global smart agriculture industry is expected to continuously transform farming, growing from $13.8 billion USD in 2020 to $22.0 billion USD by 2025.
This potential growth presents a significant opportunity especially when considering the large market size of livestock farming within South Africa, the wider continent and global markets.
The problem of undetected viral infections in animals is serious…
2020 served to highlight the magnitude of harm that can be caused by animal-borne viruses. In livestock, undetected infections can spread rapidly and cause deaths that result in huge losses for farmers. To put this into context, farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa have lost up to 26% of their revenues to livestock disease-related deaths in the past 5 years. A job is also at risk for every 20 farm animals that are lost. Aware that at least 150 million of the rural farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa are either partially, or fully dependent on livestock to sustain their livelihoods, we believe that 3DIMO is solving a crucial problem that is affecting a significant part of society.