Transforming Agriculture: IDH Farmfit reaches over 250,000 farmers in Africa
Five years ago, IDH Farmfit set out with the ambitious goal to create inclusive, and commercially viable agricultural value chains in Africa that enable smallholders to thrive. Today, the program celebrates reaching over 250,000 farmers through improved access to finance, markets, and services.
Smallholder markets play a crucial role in global food supply but are are faced with a significant shortfall in essential investments. Reducing this investment gap is essential to improving smallholder livelihoods, developing economies, and creating resilient agricultural value chains. Working with agribusinesses, financial institutions, and service providers, across 7 countries, the IDH Farmfit program in Africa is addressing critical gaps in value chains, facilitating access to services, markets and finance.
Data-informed innovations
A cornerstone of IDH Farmfit’s success is its data-informed approach. Analysing challenges and opportunities within key value chains, the program delivered tailored solutions that bridged service delivery gaps. Farmers benefitted from innovative financing arrangements, service coalitions, and guaranteed off-take agreements that ensured fair market access for their produce.
The power of data extended beyond farmer-level outcomes. Insights gathered informed investment decisions, improved service efficiency, and drove innovation across agribusinesses.
“Through IDH Farmfit, we demonstrated the power of data to make better investment decisions in smallholder agriculture,” says Carolijn Gommans, Director of Business Analytics and Intelligence. “We’ve built the case for smallholder-inclusive business models by leveraging farmer and business data to scale impactful solutions.”
Improving farmer livelihoods
The impact of IDH Farmfit on smallholder incomes is undeniable. Over 60% of participating farmers reported increased income, with over 35% attributing most or all of this growth to services accessed through the program’s inclusive business models. These models introduced critical services such as training, inputs, mechanisation, and post-harvest support, with 74% of farmers accessing these services for the first time.
The program’s impact on financial inclusion has been equally impressive, with 66,000 farmers gaining access to loans—a remarkable leap from initial baseline figures. About 79% of farmers attributed their improved access to finance to Farmfit’s interventions, particularly through tripartite financing arrangements between agribusinesses, financial institutions, and input providers.
Building climate resilience for a changing future
Climate change poses a growing challenge to farmers, and Farmfit has been at the forefront of helping smallholders build resilience. Over 160,000 farmers have benefitted from climate-smart interventions, such as climate resilience training, drought-resistant seeds, crop diversification, and irrigation support. Nearly half of these farmers reported an improved ability to adapt to climate challenges, positioning them for greater success in an increasingly unpredictable environment.
Driving sustainable business growth
Farmfit's impact extends beyond farmers to the businesses involved as well. Half of the companies participating in the program managed to reduce their service delivery costs by more than 25%, with a median reduction of 42%.
Despite challenges such as COVID-19 disruptions and high interest rates, these companies saw an average 24% increase in service revenues, demonstrating that smallholder-inclusive, sustainable business models can be both effective and economically viable.
Building a lasting legacy
The IDH Farmfit program's achievements extend far beyond the farms and businesses directly involved. The program, which was supported with funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Gates Foundation (BMGF), has influenced policies, guided investments, and set new standards for sustainable agriculture. Insights generated during the program are now publicly available through the Farmfit Insights Hub, enabling governments, businesses, and other stakeholders to replicate its success.
And what’s more, the legacy continues to grow as IDH works to integrate the methodologies into broader initiatives. IDH is committed to building inclusive value chains that improve farmer livelihoods and drive sustainability across global agriculture by fostering collaboration and innovation.