As Africa’s agricultural landscape evolves, it faces a pivotal moment in determining the most effective strategies to support smallholder farmers. On one hand, players like One Acre Fund have been effective at meeting farmers where they are today and empowering them to increase their income by providing tools, training, and asset based financing to improve productivity on their existing land. This stands in contrast to an emerging approach focussed on land aggregation and commercialization, which provides smallholder farmers with alternative livelihoods while consolidating fragmented landholdings to achieve economies of scale, increase productivity, and make immediate step change in poverty alleviation.
Moderated by Factor E’s COO Kiette Tucker, our panel will feature experts and practitioners at the forefront of these diverging strategies:
One Acre Fund Smallholder Resilience Ventures: One Acre Fund, a renowned organization dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers in Africa through a holistic approach that includes access to finance, training, and market linkages. For this event, we’ll feature Jeremy Golan, Managing Director of 1AF’s new wholly-owned subsidiary, Smallholder Resilience Ventures (SRV). SRV invests debt and equity in highly-scalable SMEs that can source high-value, climate-resilient crops from the 4 million farmer households in the 1AF network, targeting the “missing middle”. The aim is to create a mutually beneficial cycle:farmers increase production and gain access to new markets, while SMEs increase their supply, turnover, and overall investability. They will provide insights into their experiences with the incremental growth model and its impact on farmers’ livelihoods.
Cinch Markets: A pioneering platform leveraging technology and data analytics to facilitate efficient and transparent agricultural markets. They will offer perspectives on the role of market access and value chain integration in supporting smallholder farmers and driving sustainable growth.
McKinsey Global Food Security Initiative: McKinsey agriculture development and food security initiative helps to improve agri-food systems around the world by bringing innovative thinking, multi-disciplinary expertise, a nuanced understanding of the private sector, and world-class analytics. Their work sits at the intersection of rural economies, nutrition, climate adaptation, deforestation, and poverty alleviation.
The session will explore the strengths, challenges, and potential synergies between these diverging approaches , shedding light on the nuances of agricultural development in Africa. Attendees will gain valuable insights into the diverse strategies shaping the future of smallholder farming and the broader impact investment landscape on the continent.
