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.

Logo
At a Glance
Founded: 2012
Founder & CEO: Anushka Ratnayake
Food & Agriculture
Location of work: International, Africa
myAgro
Bamako, Mali
Grow more with myAgro
Farmer smiling with his crop in the background
Founder photo
Meet Anushka Ratnayake

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.

The number of beneficiaries grew from 240 farmers reached in 2012 to 120,000 farmers reached in 2020 (estimate).

In just 7 years, myAgro has grown its budget by more than 44x and beneficiaries from 240 to 120,000, while cutting the donor subsidy required to lift each farmer out of poverty by more than 67%, from $320 to an estimated $103 in 2020.

myAgro was a recipient of a 2018 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

  • Tenine Diouf, a 32-year-old mother of two and a groundnut farmer, shares her inspiring journey to secure her childr… https://t.co/Pwp9mIrnnk
  • RT @Portail_FinDev: Au #Sénégal, @myAgroFarms a constaté que les normes sociales constituaient un obstable majeur à l'adoption de ses servi…
  • To expand outreach to women farmers in rural Senegal, myAgro has partnered with CGAP and Dalberg. Our research has… https://t.co/PDGYTml1V9
  • RT @didoharding: So proud of Anushka and everyone in MyAgro making a difference every day
  • RT @BayerFoundation: How can planting trees empower farmers and protect the environment? Check out the story of Rokiatou Traoré (@kabakomor…
  • RT @SkollFoundation: "We recognize equality is not the same as equity. Women do the majority of farming in Africa, but they get less than a…
  • Let's give a big shoutout to Nogaye for her bravery and for making a positive impact on her family and community! 🎉… https://t.co/oPBLPOXvA9
  • myAgro founder and CEO Anushka Ratnayake has been featured in Cisco Blogs in commemoration of International Women's… https://t.co/0jiRscCFVo
  • Happy International Women's Day! Join us in celebrating the incredible strength, resilience, and bravery of women t… https://t.co/1EsGZD31mM
  • We are thrilled to announce that farmers can now pay for their seeds and fertilizers with Wave! This payment option… https://t.co/2HZkpD6XzE
  • myAgro’s layaway model provides smallholder farmers with access to quality inputs, up-to-date agricultural training… https://t.co/bWMLGFfdzf
  • Serving female farmers for over a decade in West Africa has taught us that much of their harvest goes towards ensur… https://t.co/DYAzTlf3Ig
  • 🌾“From my current harvest, I will save some seeds for the next planting season and sell the rest. This will allow m… https://t.co/AT3nT1QPr4
  • MyAgro partnered with @CGAP and @DalbergDesign to expand its outreach to rural Senegalese women by addressing gende… https://t.co/WBEb4utlci
  • Ever wondered what a day in the field looks like? 🤔
  • At myAgro, we work to ensure that women can access all of the support and resources they need to be successful in a… https://t.co/AzEDYWMN4O
  • “I used to send them money to buy rice, but now I send them the rice instead, and I know that they eat well.” 🌾 To… https://t.co/fj0vPsLnKj
  • "Rising seas & a greater likelihood of storm surges are affecting food production for vulnerable coastal population… https://t.co/kmTQSuBfWZ
  • At myAgro, farmers are at the core of our organization. We work to create strong partnerships with farmers that sup… https://t.co/gxOhbWaa1W