The problem
Many small-scale farmers in eastern Africa lack access to the high-quality supplies and services they need to get the most from their land and their livestock.
They also face difficulties accessing wider markets to sell their products.
Rural producers may lack transport, quality certifications or access to the price-tracking information they need to negotiate good prices.
After months of effort, many have little choice but to sell their highly perishable products for whatever price is offered on the day at the farm gate or local market.
The opportunity
When small-scale producers are connected with reliable and knowledgeable suppliers, they can increase the productivity of their land and their herds.
Access to market information means farmers know which produce is in high demand.
Warehouses and aggregation systems allow farmers to work together to attract high-value buyers by offering large quantities of high-quality produce for sale in bulk.
When farmers are plugged into more lucrative markets, they can increase their profit margins and grow their incomes.
The outcome
Connecting rural producers to suppliers and buyers helps to break the cycle of poor productivity and low profits that traps smallholder producers in poverty.
With reliable access to buyers, farmers can increase their profits, grow their businesses and create more jobs for other people in their communities.
When farmers thrive, it opens up opportunities for new agribusinesses to start up offering goods and services to farmers.
Farm Africa supports farmers to build their links to markets by:
- adapting what they produce and how they produce it to match what buyers want
- organising into cooperatives, so they can share equipment and sell in bulk for higher prices
- accessing high-quality supplies and services, such as seed, fertilisers and tractor hire, so they can maximise productivity and quality
- developing infrastructure, such as temperature-controlled pack-houses, so they can meet the standards required to supply to bigger markets
- tracking market prices locally, nationally and internationally to strengthen their negotiating power
- improving marketing of their produce
The latest on connecting farmers to markets
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Ethiopia
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Strengthen food systems
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Tanzania
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Connect farmers to markets
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Uganda
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Uganda
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