We collect your name, contact details, South African ID number, farm location and the farming records you enter (crops, harvests, compliance checklists, photos).
We use this to run your account, connect you to the buyer/hub, process harvest payments, and support you with farming guidance.
Your ID number is used only to confirm who you are and to trace your produce. It is never sold or shared for marketing.
Your data is stored on Google Firebase (servers may be outside South Africa). Access is limited to you and authorised Eli staff.
You can ask to see, correct or delete your information, or withdraw your consent, at any time by contacting us.
1. Who we are
This Privacy Policy explains how Eli Digital Farming ("Eli", "we", "us") collects and uses your personal information when you use the Ulimo farmer application and related services (the "App").
We are the responsible party (data controller) for your personal information under the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA").
If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, contact our Information Officer at privacy@elifarming.co.za.
2. Information we collect
We collect the following categories of personal information:
Identity information: your full name, South African ID number, date of birth (as contained in your ID number), and your gender where you provide it.
Contact information: your email address, phone number, physical address, province, district and municipality.
Farm information: farm name, GPS boundary and location of your farm(s), farm size, soil information, the crops you grow, and photographs of your farm and produce that you upload.
Farming and compliance records: growth-stage progress, GlobalG.A.P. preparation checklists and evidence photos, harvest records, quality grades, and your digital signature on the grower contract.
Farm worker information: where you add workers to your roster, the names and contact or ID details of those workers (you are responsible for having their permission to share this with us).
Payment information: harvest payment amounts and status. We do not collect or store your bank card details in the App.
Technical information: basic device and log information needed to operate the App securely (for example, sign-in times and error logs).
Messages you send us, including questions to the in-app assistant.
3. Why we process your information and our lawful basis
We process your personal information for the following purposes:
To create and manage your farmer account and verify your identity (necessary to provide the service you asked for / to conclude and perform a contract with you).
To register your farm, guide you through growth stages and compliance preparation, and keep your farming records (performance of our agreement with you).
To record harvests and calculate and process payments due to you, and to allow the buyer/hub to trace your produce (performance of our agreement, and our legitimate interest in a traceable supply chain).
To communicate with you about your account, approvals, contract and support requests (performance of our agreement / our legitimate interest).
To keep records required by law, such as tax and agricultural traceability records (compliance with a legal obligation).
To keep the App secure and investigate misuse (our legitimate interest in protecting the service and its users).
Your South African ID number is special in nature. We rely on your consent, given when you register, to process it, and we use it only to confirm your identity and to link your produce to you for traceability and payment. You may withdraw this consent, but without it we may not be able to keep your account active.
4. Who we share it with
We do not sell your personal information. We share it only as follows:
With authorised Eli staff and field officers who need it to review approvals, contracts, compliance and payments.
With the produce buyer / packing hub that Eli works with, for the purpose of buying, tracing and paying for your harvest.
With our service providers who host and operate the App on our behalf, in particular Google (Firebase), under agreements that require them to protect your information.
With regulators, auditors or law enforcement where we are legally required to do so, or to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim.
5. Storage and cross-border transfer
Your information is stored using Google Firebase (Authentication, Cloud Firestore and Cloud Storage). Google processes and stores data in data centres that may be located outside South Africa.
Where your information is transferred outside South Africa, it is protected by Google's contractual data-protection commitments, which POPIA recognises as providing an adequate level of protection.
Data in Firebase is encrypted in transit and at rest by Google.
6. How long we keep it
We keep your personal information for as long as you have an active account and for as long afterwards as we need it to meet legal, tax, audit and traceability obligations, or to resolve disputes.
When information is no longer needed for any of these purposes, we delete it or de-identify it.
7. How we protect your information
We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the risk, including:
Access rules on the database and file storage so that a farmer can only read and write their own records, and only authorised staff roles can read across farmers.
Encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS) between the App and our servers.
Authentication on every account, and staff access limited by role.
Keeping audit logs of sensitive administrative actions.
No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If we become aware of a breach affecting your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.
8. Your rights
Under POPIA you have the right to:
Ask what personal information we hold about you and request a copy.
Ask us to correct or update information that is wrong or incomplete.
Ask us to delete information where there is no lawful reason for us to keep it.
Object to processing based on our legitimate interest.
Withdraw any consent you have given (this does not affect processing done before you withdrew it).
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at privacy@elifarming.co.za. We may need to verify your identity first.
9. Children
The App is intended for adult farmers (18 years and older). We do not knowingly create accounts for children.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. If we make a material change, we will ask you to review and accept the updated policy the next time you open the App.
This version is effective from 3 September 2026 (version 2026-09-03).
The registered operating entity and the Information Officer's contact details are being finalised. This page will be updated with the confirmed details; the substance of how your information is handled will not change.