In Africa, the agricultural sector relies heavily on smallholder farmers, who constitute 80 percent of the world’s poor according to the latest World Bank report. These farmers often cultivate low-yield staple crops on small plots, with limited access to resources and inputs. As a result, their productivity remains disappointingly low, adversely affecting the continent’s overall agricultural output and food security.
Addressing this challenge requires a functional extension system, yet the current reality falls short with only one extension agent available for every 10,000 farmers. This severely hampers rural farmers’ access to vital information, technologies, and services that could significantly boost their productivity and income.
In the face of this worrisome gap, Extension Africa emerges as a game-changer, harnessing the power of technology to revolutionize agricultural extension service delivery across Africa. Co-founded by Abdulsamad Isah and Tajudeen Yahaya, the startup seeks to transform the lives of rural farmers while empowering the youth to play a pivotal role in agricultural development.
The journey of Extension Africa began during the founders’ university days in 2010 when they discovered their shared passion for impact-driven solutions to reshape the agricultural landscape. After gaining valuable experience in various development institutions, the duo realized the need for scalable and sustainable solutions that could bridge the extension gap effectively.
Driven by their vision, Abdulsamad and Tajudeen took a bold step, resigning from their respective jobs in 2019 to create a private-led, impact-focused solution for rural farmers. Their comprehensive agricultural background and deep empathy for farming communities laid a solid foundation for Extension Africa’s mission.
Extension Africa operates as a registered company in Nigeria. Since its establishment in 2021, the company is strengthening private extension service delivery throughout Africa, targeting a $20bn market opportunity. Central to their approach is the transformation of youth into skilled extension agents, referred to as “Farmer Business Advisors,” who provide one-stop-shop services to smallholder farmers.
The company’s groundbreaking platform, FarmEX, is a game-changer in the agricultural sector. With its ability to facilitate transparent input and commodity supply investments through field agents, it revolutionizes how farmers and agents conduct their operations. By streamlining farm sales processes and record-keeping systems, FarmEX empowers agents to work seamlessly with farmers, ensuring smooth transactions and optimal efficiency.
FarmEX’s impact is transformative, empowering farmers and agents in rural communities. This innovative platform boosts crop productivity, shortens input supply chains, and increases mechanization adoption. With over 363,000 farmers and 2,462 extension agents in 12 Nigerian states, Extension Africa is revolutionizing African agriculture, driving growth, and fostering prosperity
Through this cutting-edge technology, Extension Africa is creating a transformative impact on agricultural extension services. Farmers now have direct access to global resources, tailored to their specific needs, enhancing their productivity and overall output. Meanwhile, agents can navigate their roles with ease, providing top-notch services and securing a stable income through convenient e-wallet accounts. Notably, they secured the first runner-up position in the prestigious Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority Prize for Innovate Award, triumphing over 2,000 competing applications and earning prize money of $70,000.00
Their partnerships with reputable institutions, including Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Feed the Future Rural Resilience Activity, FCDO LINKS project, USAID Extension Activity, and IITA Youth Project have resulted in numerous projects valued at over $600,000.00. These projects focus on driving agricultural innovation and development across the continent.
Extension Africa’s network of rural agents plays a pivotal role in enhancing visibility and transparency for agribusinesses and service providers. As credible consultants to financial institutions, they have monitored loans and input credit worth over N20 billion provided to rural farmers, facilitating access to vital financial resources for agricultural development. They support input companies by providing a robust extension and marketing system, thus boosting sales of quality produce to farmers. By connecting farmers with premium agro-processors, they enable the supply of high-quality farm produce to global markets, fostering sustainable growth and profitability for agricultural stakeholders.
To maintain service quality, the startup places significant emphasis on training their Farmer Business Advisors to ensure high-quality services that boost farmers’ productivity, income, and market margins while reducing post-harvest losses. By transforming extension agents into micro-SMEs, Extension Africa aims to develop a sustainable agribusiness extension system that could have a transformative impact on the entire agricultural industry in Africa.
With 60% of the management team comprised of agriculture graduates with decades of experience in local and international development institutions, Extension Africa is well-equipped to tackle the pressing challenges faced by rural farmers. Their unwavering belief in their vision for Africa’s agriculture drives them forward, empowering farmers through innovative solutions and modern practices for sustainable growth and prosperity.
The company envisions a future where access to rural farmers in Africa has no boundaries. By 2027, Extension Africa aims to make FarmEX the preferred extension marketplace, with 100,000 field agents providing full-time services to 20 million farmers in 11 African countries. This ambitious goal will create 100,000 direct jobs and over 2 million indirect jobs in the agricultural sector, fostering connections between major global brands and rural farmers in Africa.
In the face of a daunting extension gap, Extension Africa serves as a beacon of hope, paving the way for positive change and driving agricultural development in Africa through the power of technology and human ingenuity. As they continue to bridge the gap and empower smallholder farmers, Extension Africa stands as a testament to the immense potential that lies in transformative agricultural solutions on the African continent.