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 @RootCapital: “Women, youth, and farmers in general, need to be supported by an environment that make it easier to do business.” @RootCa…
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RT @rootcapitalceo: So glad to catch up with the work of fellow @SkollFoundation awardee Anushka Ratnayake and @myAgroFarms. She is harness…
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myAgro Founder and CEO Anushka Ratnayake sits down with @RootCapital Founder and CEO Willy Foote to talk social ent… https://t.co/PNN1cLTKqI
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On #worldchildrensday myAgro is proud to serve smallholder farmers with improved inputs and agricultural training t… https://t.co/pT4XSma49v
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We were proud to work with @autodesk staff during a Pro Bono Consulting immersion project in Senegal earlier this y… https://t.co/wQbYBkKJop
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RT @ariana_constant: talking about the importance of trust, communication, and collaboration between civil society, research institutions,…
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A big thank you to @RippleworksOrg for helping accelerate myAgro's impact! A great writeup featuring our work in… https://t.co/yF3PKbxf9s
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RT @DRKFoundation: “Organizations that can get to scale think about the endgame in the beginning” @jimbildner at #SOCAP19 w/ @myAgroFarms a…
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RT @EmCollective: Many rural farmers would like to save, but live so far from banks that savings payments would be dwarfed by transport cos…
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RT @AutodeskFdn: A video about skill-based #volunteering & cultural immersion. Eight Autodesk employees in #Senegal working to build resili…
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We're celebrating International #DayoftheGirl with a flashback from myAgro Founder and CEO, Anushka Ratnayake.… https://t.co/zbf1jxKP9A
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RT @AveryBang: @MulagoFound walking through the getting to scale framework that has taken @lastmilehealth, @myAgroFarms, @OneAcreFund (and…
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RT @didoharding: @horizonsnhs Love this thread! So inspiring @Prerana_Issar . I have been in Senegal this w/end with @myAgroFarms farmers…
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How do we connect the right message about myAgro to the right farmer at the right time? This question is central… https://t.co/prEjXgsqIC
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RT @GlobalInnovEx: Innovation Spotlight: @myAgroFarms helps smallholder farmers save their way out of poverty with their mobile payment pla…
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RT @Bayer: .@myAgroFarms is pioneering a way for farmers to layaway funds via their mobile device and helps them invest in farming supplies…
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myAgro received 1 million EUR today to bring its agricultural services to the doorsteps of 200,000 farmers in Mali… https://t.co/fgihDrBh9M
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RT @Bayer: A new €20m social innovation fund by the Bayer Foundation aims to boost #smallholder farmers and help improve lives; with €3m on…
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Know a leader who loves getting mud on their boots while they visit farmers’ fields? myAgro is searching for a Cou… https://t.co/vRUrOOw2ln
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RT @KathrynMClifton: .@myAgroFarms, a #mobile payment platform for smallholder farmers, grows in West #Africa - delivering more impact to #…