NAIROBI, Kenya- Nairobi will host a gathering next week on how digital agriculture services can move beyond donor-funded pilots and become sustainable businesses that farmers can continue to use.
The 10th AgriFin Learning Event will take place on October 27 at Argyle Grand Hotel under the theme “Leveraging Evidence for Connected, Scalable and Inclusive Digital Agriculture.”
It will bring together investors, financial institutions, technology providers, governments and development partners, according to Prosper Global AgriFin, formerly Mercy Corps AgriFin.
The event comes as the sector considers how to sustain services after development funding ends.
Organisers say discussions will focus on evidence of impact, financing, customer demand and partnerships needed to keep digital services available to farmers.
The meeting will also mark the close of the AgriFin Digital Farmer II programme’s Gates Foundation funding phase.
Under the programme, 7.6 million farmers were registered, exceeding its target of five million, according to the event announcement.
Investment and business models
Discussions will draw on a report tracking US$4.39 billion in agtech funding across 17 emerging markets between 2023 and the third quarter of 2025.
The analysis covers more than 900 deals, 700 funded companies and 900 funders.
It describes a recovery in investment after the downturn that followed 2022, but says funding conditions and business viability vary between markets.
The report was commissioned through AgriFin’s AgBase programme and developed by Briter and ISF Advisors.
Organisers say its findings will inform discussions on which business models are proving viable and what kinds of capital companies need at different stages of growth.
The event will also consider how development funding can help establish evidence and reduce barriers to investment, while private capital supports businesses with a credible path to continuing their services.
The focus, organisers say, is on matching financing to business needs and using it to build services that can keep delivering value to farmers.
Connecting services around farmers
For small-scale farmers, financial services are often linked to other needs, including quality farm inputs, market access, agricultural advice, weather information and insurance or other risk-management services.
When these are offered through separate systems, farmers may have to deal with disconnected providers and information.
The event will examine how technology companies, financial institutions, governments and development partners can work together to connect these services.
Sessions will also consider how weather and climate information can be sustained, given its importance to farm decisions and the risks of increasingly uncertain conditions.
The programme will include masterclasses on trusted data systems for agricultural finance, sustainable agricultural payment services, and digital safety and security.
An artificial intelligence showcase, a farmers’ experience centre and a marketplace exhibition featuring more than 15 exhibitors are also planned, according to the announcement.
A decade of work
Prosper Global AgriFin says it has worked with financial institutions, agricultural technology companies, digital platforms and governments across Africa and Asia since 2012.
Its programmes aim to expand smallholder farmers’ access to digital financial and agricultural services.
The organisation has said it worked with nearly 200 partners, including financial institutions and technology providers, since 2019.
Its digital services have included financial products and agricultural advice intended to support farmers’ productivity, incomes and resilience.
The Nairobi meeting is intended to draw lessons from a decade of programmes and identify next steps for the sector.
Its organisers say the discussions will focus on how investors, technology providers and development partners can support connected services that meet farmers’ needs and remain viable after individual projects end.
