myAgro
Model & Strategy
myAgro believes that it is incredibly important that poor people have a way to protect and save their wealth in order to move out of poverty. Small-scale farmers, who make up the majority of the world’s poor, are also the most likely to lack access to a savings account.
myAgro enables farmers in West Africa to save for fertilizer, seed and training packages on layaway through a mobile-based platform and a network of vendor partners. By training farmers on labor-saving techniques, myAgro makes it possible for farmers to plant more land, with increasing productivity. Using this system, farmers increase their yields 50-100% and use the increased harvest to connect to markets, or feed their families year-round.
Over time, myAgro’s impact goal is to help farmers more than double their farm income to exceed $1,000 annually.
Anushka has worked in rural Africa since mid-2008, helping to increase market access for small-scale farmers. From her on-the-ground experience working with farmers, she learned about the lack of savings options for small-scale farmers and set out to create a model that would reach remote and hard-to-serve farmers.
Anushka previously created and led Kiva’s Fellows Program in 2007. She joined One Acre Fund in 2008 in Bungoma, Kenya and created many of the operations and back office structures to scale the program 50x in three years. Anushka is a 2011 Rainer Arnhold Fellow, 2012 Echoing Green Fellow and 2014 Pop!Tech Fellow.
IMPACT
Farmers increase yields 50-100% and net farming income $150-$300 per year.
240 farmers reached in 2012; 50,000 farmers reached in 2018 (E).
In just 4 years, myAgro has grown its budget by 872% and the beneficiaries by 1086%, while halving the donor subsidy required to lift a farmer out of poverty from $320 to an estimated $158 in 2018.
myAgro was a recipient of a 2018 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.
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RT @BarzaFm: Senegal: Mobile savings help farmers purchase inputs (Read this great story from @TRF_Stories about @myAgroFarms ) https://t.c…
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RT @LesslLessl: I am proud to present two #female #Leaders impacting change at scale- Anushka Ratnayake - founder @myAgroFarms and farmer B…
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Women feed the world. Over 60 percent of myAgro's clients are female farmers. Today, on #InternationalWomensDay, w… https://t.co/P0wJ6k7cZO
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RT @VeraSolutions: @myAgrofarms’ mobile layaway platform makes it easy for the world’s poorest farmers to save for seeds, fertilizer, and t…
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RT @IFAD: Empowering women by improving their knowledge of #nutrition dietary intake can reduce undernutrition for entire generations! 👩🌾…
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RT @IFAD: Anushka Ratnayake, Founder and CEO of @myAgroFarms, talks about the key role that innovation and #women play in reducing rural po…
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Hawa Diallo is a mother of 5 and a myAgro farmer in #Senegal. “I harvested 5 sacks of peanuts with myAgro, when in… https://t.co/oOMiGFQKL7
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RT @GLG: Farmers in West Africa are using prepaid scratch cards to save their way out of poverty. @myAgroFarms' Anushka Ratnayake explains.…
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We're excited that this photo was chosen as a winner for the @CGAP photo contest! Read the stories behind the power… https://t.co/ZaRRFSO0PC
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RT @IFAD: Empowering social entrepreneurship for inclusive rural transformation "We need to focus on local knowledge. Many strategies have…
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Amy Ka used to struggle with poor harvests that made it difficult for her to feed her family. This year, after wor… https://t.co/pfE9x1jdYJ
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RT @LesslLessl: Very impressed what #female farmers have achieved with the help of @myAgroFarms. Building their own houses and sending k…
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myAgro founder and CEO Anushka Ratnayake gave an inspiring presentation at @TEDTalks explaining myAgro’s innovative… https://t.co/h340ZxlQoy
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RT @USAIDSenegal: @USAID #DIV innovator since 2016, @myAgroFarms provides a mobile savings platform for farmers to save year-round in small…
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In the midst of the #fintech revolution and exciting innovations for #financialinclusion, we must remember to keep… https://t.co/FfbyS2U3IM
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RT @echoinggreen: "Last year alone, @myAgroFarms farmers made around 1 million digital investments in their farms. Accordingly, they grew 1…
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RT @FfwdOrg: We're kicking off 2019 with a healthy dose of positive news. Get inspired 💡@myAgroFarms @upsolvebk @codeforamerica @thingscon…
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Did you know that 47% of tech nonprofit founders are women? Among them is myAgro founder and CEO Anushka Ratnayak… https://t.co/bHnuTaMZR3
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RT @SkollFoundation: .@myAgroFarms' mobile savings model allows farmers to put away small amounts of cash whenever they can — a potentially…
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There is still time to donate to our #OneGoodHarvest campaign! Every $4 donation generates $75 of additional inco… https://t.co/eBYz4LuQcC