There is a strong push from the food industry to source produce from smallholders. Whether it’s premium coffee in Ethiopia or the lucrative French bean in Kenya, we help rural communities identify and tap into consumer demand so they can sell more and sell for more.

Identifying and accessing profitable markets

Farm Africa identifies new products and markets that can deliver economic benefits to smallholders. Farm Africa maps out all of the players that work to deliver products to end markets to make sure that all market actors, including smallholders, make a positive return on their investment.

A lack of effective agricultural and corporate services stops farmers from accessing new markets. Farm Africa identifies the obstacles that stop farmers from selling to new buyers and develops solutions, such as building community-run warehouses and providing financial management training to fertiliser suppliers, that deliver smallholders' goods to buyers.

Meeting demand for quality and quantity

Smallholders and agribusinesses often do not know what quantities the market needs, what product quality standards to meet, or how to achieve them, and who the major buyers are. Through tailored agronomic, processing and marketing activities Farm Africa builds the capacity of farmers to produce and trade goods to the social, environmental, health and safety standards demanded by high-value buyers.

Farm Africa helps translate what markets need into production, processing and trading systems, which open up new markets and allow farmers and businesses to command a higher price for their goods and services.

Smallholders typically produce small quantities of food in remote locations. Conversely, buyers require large quantities of food in easily accessible locations. Farm Africa sets up warehouses and aggregation systems that bridge this divide, equipping rural communities with the ability to safely store and sell their produce in bulk.

Addressing information asymmetries

A lack of market information often means that farmers receive less than the true market for their produce. Uneven access to commodity prices stops markets from working effectively.

By using digital trading platforms and fostering new forms of collaboration between players, Farm Africa equips farmers and agribusinesses with access to vital information, creating transparent and competitive commercial environment that provides farmers with a fair price for their produce.