Smallholder farmers are essential to the agricultural landscape of Ghana, comprising 70% of the nation’s agricultural workforce. Despite their significant contributions to food production, these farmers face numerous challenges, including entrenched poverty, limited access to credit, and unpredictable market conditions. Many lack the necessary tools and resources to thrive, leaving them vulnerable to economic fluctuations and climate-related shocks. These barriers not only hinder their productivity but also limit their income potential. To address these challenges, Acumen has made a strategic investment in Wami Agro, a Ghanaian agritech startup dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers.
Wami Agro offers a comprehensive suite of tech-enabled solutions designed to enhance the incomes of smallholder farmers through three key services:
- Wami Market: Utilizing a fleet of trucks, Wami Agro collects aggregated produce from farmers, which is then transferred to their warehouses for sorting and packing. The company provides outbound logistics to buyers, ensuring that farmers receive fair prices and guaranteed access to both domestic and international markets. The “Pukpara” platform streamlines these operations, improving efficiency and transparency.
- Wami Credit: This proprietary digital platform facilitates access to financing by incorporating credit scoring for village savings and loan associations (VSLAs). This service enables farmers to obtain essential inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and mechanical equipment on credit, thereby improving their productivity.
- Wami Info: Through capacity-building initiatives, Wami Agro empowers farmers with vital knowledge, resources, and climate-resilient farming practices. This educational component is crucial for enhancing the skills and adaptability of smallholder farmers in the face of changing environmental conditions.
Since its establishment, Wami Agro has successfully built a network of over 14,000 smallholder farmers who cultivate crops such as rice, maize, soya, and sorghum. The company collaborates with approximately 50 aggregators and producers, collectively selling over 5,000 tonnes of grains.
With the investment from Acumen, Wami Agro plans to scale its operations, expand its sourcing capabilities to neighboring countries like Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso, and launch its proprietary digital farm management platform, Pukpara.
Caleb Edwards, the founder of Wami Agro, expressed enthusiasm about the investment, stating, “This strategic investment from Acumen will enable us to expand our reach, enhance our technological capabilities, and continue to drive positive change in the food and agricultural industry in Ghana and beyond.”
Babatunde Usman, an investment manager on Acumen’s West Africa team, echoed this sentiment, highlighting the transformative potential of Wami Agro. “Wami Agro represents the type of innovative, technology-driven enterprise that can fundamentally reshape agricultural ecosystems. Their commitment to smallholder farmers aligns perfectly with Acumen’s values, and we are excited to support their efforts to create sustainable agricultural impact at scale.”
