Common questions
The things people ask most, and what to do about them.
Getting in
I never got my invitation email
Check your spam folder. If it is not there, the address on your account may not be the one you are checking — ask whoever invited you which address they used. Invitations expire after seven days, so if it has been longer, ask for a new one.
It says my account is locked
Five wrong passwords locks the account for 15 minutes. Wait, then use Forgot password rather than guessing again.
A button I need is not there
Usually your role. Owners and admins can do things ordinary users cannot. Ask your farm owner or exporter to change your role if you need it.
I signed in but I cannot see my crops
Check the farm name at the top of the screen. If you belong to more than one farm, you may be looking at a different one. Switch farms there.
Checking products
It says it cannot read my photo
Get closer to the ingredients text, flatten the label, and keep it out of direct sun. If it still will not read, type the ingredients in by hand — that always works and gives the same answer.
I keep getting "Unclear"
It means not enough of the label could be recognised. Type the ingredients in instead. If a chemical comes back as not known, it genuinely is not in the reference list — ask your exporter or an agronomist.
The shop says this product is legal in Kenya
They are probably right, and it makes no difference. Kenya and Europe keep different lists. A product can be legally registered and sold here and still be one Europe does not accept — and it is Europe's list that decides whether your consignment is paid for. See why a legal product can still be blocked.
I have used this product for years with no problem
Two things change. Europe removes chemicals from its approved list over time, so something fine three seasons ago may not be now. And manufacturers reformulate: the same brand name can contain different chemicals than it used to. Check the label, not the memory.
I already sprayed something that came back risky
Tell your exporter before you send that produce. Get a laboratory test if you can. Do not send it and hope — a rejected consignment costs far more than the crop, and it affects every farmer packed into the same lot.
Records
I forgot to record a spray from last week
Record it now with the real date it happened. A late record is fine. A missing one is a hole exactly where an inspector will look.
Can I delete a record I do not like?
You can correct mistakes, and corrections are kept alongside the original — that history is what makes your records believable. Do not delete a real event because the result was inconvenient. That turns a paperwork problem into a trust problem, and it is the one thing that is hard to recover from.
Mass balance says my numbers do not add up
Nearly always a missing record rather than missing produce — an unrecorded harvest, or a write-off nobody entered. Work backwards from the crop it flags. Fix it before an inspection, not during one.
For exporters
My farmer does not use SoftFarm
Add them as an external supplier and record deliveries yourself. It works — but you only know what they tell you. If they supply you regularly, inviting them to link is worth the effort for both of you.
A farmer told me late about a bad spray
Go to When there is a problem and run the assessment first. Find out exactly what is affected before you decide anything or call anyone.
Produce from several farms is already in one lot
Then the whole lot is implicated, not one farm's share — that is the cost of mixing. Use co-mingled lots to see exactly who and what is affected. In future, keep suppliers you are unsure about in their own lots.
Using the apps
Does it work on a phone?
Yes. Open the address in Chrome or Safari and sign in — there is nothing to install. Everything in this guide can be done from a phone.
Can I use it in Kiswahili?
Yes. Change the language from the menu at the top. The compliance advice is translated too, not just the buttons.
Does it work without network?
No — you need a connection. If you are somewhere with no signal, note what you did on paper and record it when you are back in coverage. Use the real date it happened.
Which address do I use?
Farmers: grow.softfarm.co.ke. Exporters: xport.softfarm.co.ke. They are different apps and you sign in to the one that matches your work.
Still stuck
Ask in this order — it is usually the fastest route to an answer:
- Your farm owner or exporter. Most questions are about roles, permissions or how your organisation does things.
- Your agronomist or certifier for anything about a specific chemical, a certification rule, or a laboratory result.
- SoftFarm support if the app itself is not behaving. Say what you were doing, what you expected, and what happened instead.
Talk to us
Call or send a message on WhatsApp. English or Kiswahili.
If you are reporting a problem, it helps to say which app you were in (the farm app or the exporter portal), what you were trying to do, and what the screen said.