The ‘Amazon for African farmers’, Farmerline, emerged as the winner of the World Bank-led Africa-Korea Agtech Innovation Challenge – Financial Inclusion Category. The World Bank organized the innovation challenge to identify disruptive agricultural technologies (DAT) interested in working in Kenya and Uganda.
After two days of intensive learning and competing with 21 other DATs, Farmerline Group emerged as the fiercely contested Financial Inclusion category winner. Farmerline will now have the opportunity to extend its digital solutions to smallholder farmers in Kenya and Uganda under the World Bank-financed 1 Million Farmer Platform, where the World Bank and East African government are rolling out digital solutions for 1 million farmers in the next two years.
Farmerline provides smallholder farmers and agribusinesses with digital tools, logistics, field agents and farm resources. Farmers also benefit from access to high-quality fertilizer and seeds, accessible education on climate-smart farming practices and connections to international markets. Recently, it has financed around US$ 18 million worth of inputs and crops through franchise shop alliances with agribusinesses and input dealers.
Founded in 2013 by Alloysius Attah and Emmanuel Owusu Addai, the company raised a Pre-Series A round of US$ 14.4 million last year to double down on their activites in Ghana and expand its operations into Ivory Coast to help farmers facing increased fertilizers prices and shortages.
Source: Farmerline