By KPC Reporter
Digital agriculture stakeholders will meet in Nairobi next week to examine how technology-driven services can reach more smallholder farmers and remain financially sustainable as development funding tightens.
The 10th AgriFin Learning Event, organised by Prosper Global AgriFin, formerly Mercy Corps AgriFin, will take place on October 27 at Argyle Grand Hotel under the theme “Leveraging Evidence for Connected, Scalable and Inclusive Digital Agriculture”.
Also Read
The meeting will bring together investors, financial institutions, technology companies and development partners to assess lessons from a decade of digital agriculture programmes and explore business models capable of surviving beyond donor-funded projects.
Organisers say the sector’s challenge is no longer simply reaching millions of farmers, but ensuring that digital services remain accessible, useful and commercially viable over the long term.
Since 2019, AgriFin has worked with nearly 200 financial institutions, agricultural technology companies, digital platforms and governments across Africa and Asia to expand digitally enabled financial and agricultural advisory services.
Its programmes have targeted improved productivity, incomes and resilience among smallholder farmers, particularly women and young people.
Agtech investment under scrutiny
Discussions will draw on a report commissioned through AgriFin’s AgBase programme and developed by Briter and ISF Advisors.
The report tracked US$4.39 billion in agricultural technology 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, examining investment patterns and differences in the commercial maturity of markets.
According to the organisers, the findings point to an uneven recovery in investment following the downturn that began after 2022, highlighting the need to match capital to businesses’ growth stages and financing requirements.
Sessions will examine how investors, development partners and agricultural enterprises can build viable business models and use funding to help promising solutions reach sustainable markets.
The event will also consider partnerships between technology providers, financial institutions and governments to connect services such as agricultural advice, finance, weather information, quality inputs and market access.
AI and climate services on agenda
Participants will explore how artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and digital payment systems can improve agricultural service delivery.
The programme includes masterclasses on trusted data ecosystems for agricultural finance, sustainable digital payment systems, and digital safety and security.
An AI showcase, a farmers’ experience centre and a marketplace exhibition featuring more than 15 exhibitors will also feature.
Organisers say better-connected services could help farmers access relevant information and financial products while enabling businesses to serve customers more efficiently.
The meeting will also examine financing models for weather and climate services, which help farmers make decisions and manage production risks amid increasingly uncertain conditions.
Prosper Global AgriFin says its programmes have reached more than 18 million smallholder farmers across Africa and Asia since 2012. Under the AgriFin Digital Farmer II programme, 7.6 million farmers were registered against a target of five million.
The event will assess how such reach can translate into sustained use, meaningful benefits for farmers and services that providers can continue delivering after individual projects end.
