Social Issue

Maize is the most abundant staple crop in sub-Saharan Africa, the vast majority of which is grown by small-scale-farmers.

Access to high-quality seeds and fertilizers can substantially enhance productivity, but most small-scale farmers do not have access to quality inputs for two reasons: one, they live in rural, hard-to-reach areas; and two they lack access to credit and cannot afford the initial cost of investing in high yielding seeds and fertilizers.

Our Response

Netri have provided a loan to Apollo Agriculture Ltd, a company created in 2016 with the vision of supporting small-scale farmers to maximise their profits.

Apollo bundles everything a small-scale farmer needs but typically cannot access: agri-inputs, advice, and insurance, all provided on credit. Founded in Kenya, Apollo’s core product is a customized package for maize, the most abundantly grown staple crop and farmed by the vast majority of smallholder farmers. Apollo uses a highly scalable distribution model: the company engineered its own software platform to connect with Kenyan farmers. It uses machine learning and satellite data to build the credit profile and provide optimal products to farmers. Apollo clients are able to pay back loans via mobile money after their harvest.

Expected Social Impact

Providing access to quality agricultural inputs on credit together with training is a proven way to improve the performance and income of small farmers. As maize is a staple crop in Kenya and Africa, Apollo could have a significant impact in terms of income uplift for farmers.

With this loan from Netri, it is estimated that Apollo will be able to provide approximately 2,500 loans to farmers.