Agriculture is a primary economic activity across many parts of Africa, but Cherotich Rutto, CEO and founder of a new agribusiness marketplace called Tawi Fresh, says the region’s smallholder farmers are “underserved” and “undervalued.”

 

“The only way to bring the smallholder farmers into the forefront is to use technology,” she notes.

 

Smallholder farmers in Kenya often lack access to markets, financing, proper storage facilities and fair pricing. Rutto, a farmer herself, realized how common these problems were amongst most smallholders in the region and set out to offer a technology-based solution.

 

Tawi Fresh launched this year and is currently incubating in the SC Ventures, a business unit that provides a platform and catalyst for Standard Chartered to promote innovation, invest in disruptive financial technology, and explore alternative business models.

 

Rutto recently spoke to AFN about her journey from farmer to founder and how her company is helping smallholders, particularly women and youths.

 

Agriculture is a primary economic activity across many parts of Africa, but Cherotich Rutto, CEO and founder of a new agribusiness marketplace called Tawi Fresh, says the region’s smallholder farmers are “underserved” and “undervalued.”

 

“The only way to bring the smallholder farmers into the forefront is to use technology,” she notes.

 

Smallholder farmers in Kenya often lack access to markets, financing, proper storage facilities and fair pricing. Rutto, a farmer herself, realized how common these problems were amongst most smallholders in the region and set out to offer a technology-based solution.

 

Tawi Fresh launched this year and is currently incubating in the SC Ventures, a business unit that provides a platform and catalyst for Standard Chartered to promote innovation, invest in disruptive financial technology, and explore alternative business models.

 

Rutto recently spoke to AFN about her journey from farmer to founder and how her company is helping smallholders, particularly women and youths.

 

I started looking around and I saw that everybody else around me, because it was a farmer community, was facing the same challenge. And when I got an opportunity to move into SC Ventures, I asked myself, “How do we use technology to support smallholder farmers who currently produce over 70% of what is eaten in this country and across the region, to access a viable market and financial services?”

 

Agriculture is a main economic activity across Africa. It contributes about over 25% of GDP in most of the African markets, and therefore it is a sector that is underserved, undervalued and farmers are underpaid and not visible, even in the financial ecosystem. The only way to bring the smallholder farmers into the forefront is to use technology.

 

Read More