AgDevCo

Through ECA in central Mozambique, thousands of smallholder farmers have been connected to commercial buyers, who offer stable pricing and volumes in return for improved grain quality and service. The ECA model has proved its commercial worth and potential to be replicated elsewhere.

Read how AgDevCo's SDU showcases best practices to promote women’s economic empowerment in outgrower schemes.

Despite contributing substantially to agricultural production, female farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face numerous constraints that limit their productivity and their inclusion in smallholder schemes.

In this interview, Sandi Roberts explains how helping agribusinesses in Africa can help smallholder farmers produce more and increase their incomes.

AgDevCo, in collaboration with The MasterCard Foundation and UKAID, launched the Smallholder Development Unit (SDU) to work with rural agricultural enterprises to develop equitable outgrower schemes that will boost productivity and incomes for half a million smallholder farmers.

The schemes featured represent a cross-section of value chains, from high-value horticulture (bananas) to commodity crops (maize and sugarcane), small livestock (broilers), and seed (flowers). Understanding the lessons of these schemes and why they have been successful will help to inform the design of new outgrower schemes, minimise mistakes, and ensure both companies and growers reap the benefits.