Solving Africa Food Security and Economic Challenge Through Revolutionizing Rural Agriculture Trade
World’s population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 majority being young people in developing countries. Sub-Saharan Africa only produces 10% of the world’s agricultural output and ensuring food security as a basic human right to the rising population is one of the greatest challenges to the continent which is also compounded by erratic and unpredictable climatic conditions. As a result, Africa’s agricultural productivity remains low, affecting African farmer’s income. Women and youth constitute about 70% of Africa agricultural workforce. Majority of these smallholder farmers depend on informal agro-dealer stores and cooperatives to access inputs and key services which are dominated by poor supply, poor management, and exploitative prices. Lack of access to quality and affordable agriculture inputs, services and information has created a cycle of low farm productivity and reduced income to smallholder farmers.
Shamba Pride is revolutionizing rural agriculture trade ecosystem by offering online to offline platform that provides tools and technology to agricultural input distributors (“agrodealers”) to upskill them to provide quality agricultural products, services and information to their farmers. Our positioning is different in that we improve existing value chains, rather than replacing them. Through Shamba Pride, last-mile agro dealers and cooperative entrepreneurs are able to digitize their operations and provide smallholder farmers with right and affordable technology, quality products and services thus, creating a community of smart micro-entrepreneurs serving the smallholder farmer community.
Climate Action
Building Resilience and Sustainable Agriculture In The Agriculture Value Chain Through Shamba Pride Infrastructure and Last Mile Input Distribution Network
In addition to conflicts, instability and economic crises, climate variability and change are among the key drivers of the recent increase in hunger in Africa. In the drought-prone sub-Saharan African countries, the number of undernourished people has increased by 45.6% since 2012 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Climate change is having a growing impact on the African continent, hitting the most vulnerable hardest, and contributing to food insecurity, population displacement and stress on water resources.
One promising approach throughout the continent to reducing the impacts of these events has been to reduce poverty by promoting socioeconomic growth, in particular in the agricultural sector which employs 60% of Africa’s population.
Shamba Pride therefore seeks to play an active role in fostering ;
- Socioeconomic growth through empowering SME players in the agriculture value chain with a key focus on agro dealers.
- Increase food security through last mile distribution of climate smart technologies and inputs.
Youth And Gender Focus
African continent has the highest percentage of women entrepreneurs in the world making them the backbone of Africa’s economy. The female entrepreneurship rate in sub-Saharan Africa is 25.9% of the female adult population, meaning that one in four women starts or manages a business. Women typically reinvest up to 90% of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their family and community – compared to up to 40% for men. This means that investing in women’s businesses can transform societies.
Shamba Pride has a key focus on uplifting female owned agro dealer shops in a bid to ensure that our services are gender inclusive. Over 80% of community agents that Shamba Pride works with to build capacity on agrodealer recruitment and climate change mitigation are youth. As such we are building a network of young individuals that become climate change ambassadors in their local communities. We invest in training them on new and emerging climate change trends which they pass on to the communities they serve.