What changed
Digital agriculture in Africa is moving beyond pilots and innovation showcases toward business models that can serve millions of smallholder farmers sustainably.
The shift will be examined at the 10th AgriFin Learning Event in Nairobi on October 27, as Mercy Corps AgriFin’s Digital Farmer II funding phase closes. The event will bring together technology providers, financial institutions, investors and development partners under the theme “Leveraging Evidence for Connected, Scalable and Inclusive Digital Agriculture.”
Why it matters
The central question is no longer whether agtech can attract money. It is whether particular markets and business models can survive commercially, what kind of capital they need, and when partnerships can help them grow.
That matters because digital agriculture is not one uniform sector. Investment conditions differ across emerging markets, and solutions that work in one setting may not have the same path to sustainability elsewhere.
A new analysis commissioned through AgriFin’s AgBase programme tracks US$4.39 billion in agtech funding across 17 emerging markets from 2023 through the third quarter of 2025. It covers more than 900 deals, 700 funded companies and 900 funders. The wider database spans more than 70 markets, 1,500 capital providers and 3,500 ventures.
The Nairobi meeting is therefore less a victory lap than a sorting exercise. Its discussions will consider how financing can match the maturity and needs of agricultural technology businesses and small and medium-sized enterprises, and how development funding can establish evidence and open markets.
The useful test will come after the conference. If the proposed partnerships lead to clearer financing routes and stronger service delivery, the sector may begin turning scale from a slogan into a business condition. For now, which companies and models will prove commercially viable remains unsettled, and the event’s discussions are not yet commitments.
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