Portfolio : 5 initiatives transforming African agriculture
Agriculture remains the backbone of the African economy. Today, a series of ambitious local and continental initiatives are modernizing practices, strengthening value chains, supporting smallholder farmers, and opening up new socio-economic opportunities. Here are five projects that illustrate these concrete transformations.
1. One Acre Fund: strengthening smallholder farmers at scale
One Acre Fund is a social organization operating in several Sub-Saharan African countries that provides smallholder farmers with the inputs, support, and services they need to produce more and earn more. It offers improved seeds, agricultural services, and training in good farming practices, while ensuring support throughout the entire agricultural season. Families working with One Acre Fund have recorded up to 45% higher agricultural incomes compared to those not supported, a tangible demonstration of the model’s impact.
2. Initiative for the Transformation of Agriculture in Africa (ITAA): structuring at the institutional level
The Initiative for the Transformation of Agriculture in Africa (ITAA), led by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) with partners such as the Gates Foundation and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, aims to strengthen the institutional and policy capacities of states to support sustainable and inclusive agriculture. It helps develop national strategies, strengthen agricultural agencies, and coordinate public and private actions to address rural poverty, improve food security, and increase resilience to climate change.
3. M-Shamba: agricultural information within everyone’s reach
M-Shamba is an initiative that places agricultural information directly in the hands of smallholder farmers via mobile phones. Through practical advice, climate forecasts, and access to markets, the platform helps rural farmers plan their crops, avoid post-harvest losses, and make decisions based on reliable data. This initiative helps reduce information asymmetry between rural areas and urban centers, and strengthens farmers’ productive autonomy. (general agritech context)
4. Twiga Foods: disintermediation for better markets
Twiga Foods in Kenya has created a digital logistics platform that directly connects producers with distributors and retailers. By improving the efficiency of marketing channels and reducing waste, Twiga enables farmers to access more profitable urban markets with fewer intermediaries, thereby strengthening their incomes and local food security. (agritech platform context).
5. BMPA CI: the Agricultural Commodities Exchange in Côte d’Ivoire
The Agricultural Commodities Exchange of Côte d’Ivoire (BMPA CI) is the first platform of its kind in West Africa, allowing producers to deposit their stocks in accredited warehouses and sell them on an organized market through brokers. This mechanism improves price transparency, stabilizes farmers’ incomes, and opens up new opportunities to trade products such as cashew nuts, maize, or kola nuts. The BMPA aims to strengthen local value chains, diversify exports, and better remunerate farmers.
