Last updated: 12.09.2025

Who We Are

Our website address is: farmbizafrica.com.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, along with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help with spam detection.

An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to check if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture (if any) is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

We keep comments for up to 3 years and then delete or anonymise them.

Media (General Website Use)

If you upload images to the website (outside of our applications), you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from publicly available images.

Images uploaded within specific applications are subject to their own rules described in the Applications section.

Cookies

If you leave a comment on our site, you may opt in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. These cookies last for one year.

If you visit our login page, we set a temporary cookie to check if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.

When you log in, we set cookies to save your login information and display preferences. Login cookies last two days; display preferences cookies last one year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login persists for two weeks. Logging out removes login cookies.

If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie is saved in your browser, indicating the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after one day.

Embedded Content from Other Websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g., videos, images, articles). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if the visitor has visited the other website directly.

These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process personal data only where there is a lawful basis to do so. This may include:

• your consent (when you choose to provide information such as your name, email address, or location) (GDPR Art. 6(1)(a));
  
• the need to perform a contract with you (for example when delivering services you purchased) (Art. 6(1)(b));
  
• legitimate interests (such as improving services, anonymised research, or maintaining security) (Art. 6(1)(f));
  
• compliance with legal or regulatory obligations (Art. 6(1)(c)).
  

Data Minimisation and Accuracy

We only collect the minimum personal data necessary to provide our services. We also take reasonable steps to ensure that the data we hold is accurate and up to date. You may request corrections to your personal information at any time.

Data Sharing

For general website features, we only share data where necessary (e.g., spam detection services, password reset emails).

For application-specific services, personal data is accessed and processed only by FarmBiz Africa. We do not transfer, sell, or share personal data with external parties. Only anonymised and aggregated data, which cannot be used to identify an individual, may be shared externally for research, insights, reports, and product development.

Details on data sharing for specific applications are provided in the Applications section of this policy.

Data Retention

If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained. Such data are kept for 3 years and then deleted or anonymised.

For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. We keep personal data only as long as necessary to provide services or comply with legal obligations. Accounts are deleted within 30 days after the user decides to close the account.

All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

Retention rules for data collected through applications are detailed in the relevant subsections of the Applications section below.

Your Rights

You have rights over your personal data, and we are committed to upholding them.

These include the right to access the information we hold about you, the right to correct inaccurate or incomplete data, and the right to request your data to be deleted. You may also ask us to restrict how your data is used, or object to certain types of processing. In addition, you have the right to receive your data in a portable format and to withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.

Children’s Data

To exercise your rights, contact us at data@farmbizafrica.com. We reply within 1 month (GDPR Art. 12). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local Data Protection Authority.

Our services are not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent, we will delete it immediately. Parents or guardians who believe their child’s data may have been collected should contact us.

Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These measures include encryption, access controls, secure storage, and regular audits. While no system can be completely secure, we continually improve our safeguards to protect your information.

Data Breach Notification

In the event of a personal data breach that may put your rights and freedoms at risk, we will notify the relevant data protection authorities (such as the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner in Kenya and the UK Information Commissioner’s Office) as well as affected individuals, as required by law. This notification will be made within 72 hours of becoming aware of the breach.

Where Your Data Is Sent

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

For applications, only anonymised and aggregated data may be shared externally, as explained in the Applications section.

Applications

In addition to the general policies above, certain applications available through our website may collect and process additional data. Each application has its own rules regarding what data is collected, how it is used, how long it is retained, and how it may be shared.

PestScout

Data We Collect

When you use PestScout, we collect the photos you upload of your plants in order to provide a diagnosis. Along with the images, we collect metadata such as location information to provide context for the diagnosis. The system also generates diagnosis details, including the results and suggested organic and chemical treatment options, which are stored along with the record. If you purchase credits to use PestScout, we collect the necessary transaction information to process the payment. Additionally, we store your diagnostic history so you can access your past diagnoses through your account.

How We Use This Data

The data collected through PestScout is used to deliver plant diagnosis and treatment recommendations, and to maintain a record of your diagnostic history for your reference. We also use this data to improve the performance and accuracy of PestScout, and to conduct agricultural research and trend analysis.

All personal data is only accessed by FarmBiz Africa. External parties only receive anonymised and aggregated data, which cannot be linked back to any individual farmer. We do not sell your personal data.

Data Retention

Images that you upload to PestScout are retained for 5 days before being automatically deleted. Metadata, including location information and diagnosis details, is retained for as long as necessary for research and product development. Your diagnostic history is retained for as long as you maintain a PestScout account, and deleted within 30 days after account closure (unless you request earlier deletion).

Data Sharing

Your uploaded images and diagnosis information are shared on an anonymised basis solely for the purpose of delivering the PestScout service. We do not sell your personal data to any third party. However, anonymised data that cannot identify you personally may be shared with external parties for agricultural insights, research, and the development of new services and products.

Your Rights (Specific to PestScout)

As a PestScout user, you have the right to request deletion of your uploaded images and diagnostic data before the automatic deletion period elapses. You may also request an export of all data related to your PestScout usage, including your diagnostic history. In addition, you may withdraw your consent for the processing of data within PestScout at any time, although this may prevent you from continuing to use the service.