The Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Heifer International called on governments, donors, investors, and development organizations to intensify their support for local partnerships that can speed up agricultural transformation across Africa. The nonprofit emphasized that meaningful collaboration between governments, smallholder farmers, youth innovators, farmer cooperatives, the private sector, and development actors is essential to strengthen food systems and ensure lasting prosperity in rural areas.
Although agriculture employs almost two-thirds of Africa’s workforce, it attracts less than 4 percent of commercial bank lending. According to the African Development Bank, the sector faces an annual financing shortfall of $80 billion. Smallholder farmers and agri-SMEs—responsible for producing up to 70 percent of Africa’s food—struggle with inadequate credit, poor infrastructure, and costly loans. Bridging this gap requires not only additional resources but also smarter partnerships that put farmers at the center of decision-making.
Heifer International stressed that philanthropic support and grant funding continue to be critical to agricultural development on the continent. However, when these resources are tailored to local contexts and backed by strong partnerships, they have the power to drive innovation and attract further private investment. Flexible financing enables young enterprises to pilot their ideas in real-world farming conditions, validate their models, and access markets.
“The future of agriculture in Africa depends on strong partnerships and financing mechanisms that enable innovations to move from ideas into scalable solutions,” said Surita Sandosham, President and CEO of Heifer International. “Philanthropic capital remains essential, and when paired with the efforts of governments, cooperatives, and the private sector, such funding can achieve even greater impact in strengthening local food systems.”
The organization showcased practical examples of its initiatives to illustrate how this collaborative approach is already delivering results. Through the AYuTe NextGen initiative—focused on Agriculture, Youth, and Technology—Heifer is prioritizing young people and technology as key drivers of Africa’s agricultural future. The program identifies promising agri-tech solutions, nurtures them, and supports their growth to scale in order to address smallholder farmers’ pressing challenges.
In Nigeria, for instance, Heifer’s collaboration with Hello Tractor has enabled over 20,000 farmers to access affordable mechanization services, ensuring timely planting and harvesting. In Uganda, start-ups led by young entrepreneurs and supported by AYuTe NextGen have scaled mobile-based livestock health services and crop advisory platforms, successfully attracting private investors. In Kenya and Rwanda, Heifer’s partnerships with dairy cooperatives have cut milk spoilage rates by up to 30 percent, boosting farmer earnings and making the dairy sector more appealing to buyers and processors.
Enjoying this article? Share it with your network!
Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International, emphasized that these outcomes highlight what becomes possible when local actors take the lead. “Farmers should be engaged as business partners, youth innovators deserve the chance to validate their ideas, and financial systems must distribute risk more equitably. Above all, partnerships grounded in local realities are what build the trust and resilience necessary for long-term growth,” she said.
This model also tackles persistent barriers faced by women and young people, who together represent a substantial proportion of Africa’s farmers and food entrepreneurs. With Africa’s median age at 19 and women accounting for nearly half of the agricultural workforce, both groups continue to encounter obstacles to land, finance, and market access. Heifer’s initiatives link youth-led businesses and women farmers with cooperatives and promote inclusive partnerships, thereby supporting governments to create agricultural development strategies that leave no one behind.
Regional frameworks like the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) call for more than $100 billion in investments in Africa’s agrifood sector, with at least 30 percent of the benefits earmarked for women and youth. Heifer’s interventions demonstrate how these policy commitments can be translated into actionable, community-driven results.
Representing recent AYuTe NextGen award winners, Carolyne Mwangi, CEO of Kenya’s Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries, underscored the centrality of partnerships: “Across the continent, young entrepreneurs are introducing critical solutions, from mechanization services to cold-chain infrastructure. What they need are partners who truly understand agricultural realities and can connect them to markets. That is how resilience and sustainable growth are achieved.”
Heifer concluded that lasting agricultural transformation in Africa requires moving beyond fragmented, short-term initiatives. Instead, durable systems must be established that unite farmers, governments, investors, and development organizations. With stronger local partnerships and more inclusive funding models, smallholder farmers can grow their incomes, investors can identify viable opportunities, and countries can achieve greater food security amid rising populations.
