Digital agriculture in LMICs - 10 Jul #93
Tanzania’s fintech Mixx by Yas to digitise agri value chains; Stanbic Bank's $100M Fund targets Kenyan agritechs, Maharashtra launches agri AI policy
03/07/25
Stanbic Bank Kenya to back agritech with $100M fund
Stanbic Bank Kenya, the sixth largest bank in the country, is launching a USD 100 million Catalytic Fund to support high-potential startups, with agritech among its key focus areas. This is a rare move for a commercial bank in a sector dominated by venture capital and development finance institutions. Through its Catalytic Fund, which offer offers grant-like patient capital, and as part of its social impact strategy, Stanbic Bank aims to drive innovation in agriculture by funding digital innovations that enhance food security, boost productivity, and modernise farming.
By December 2024, the bank had disbursed KES 182.4 million (USD 1.4 million) through the fund, including KES 63 million (USD 488,000) issued that year, according to its disclosures. With this announcement, Stanbic now aims to raise ten times that amount at KES 1.8 billion (USD 14 million) to scale its impact. The initiative reflects growing focus on underfunded sectors and companies and highlights greater risk appetite to invest in agritech.
09/07/25
Mixx by Yas and COPRA to digitise Tanzania’s agri value chains
Mixx by Yas, formerly known as Tigo Pesa and now the unified fintech brand of AXIAN Telecom in Tanzania, has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Cereals and Other Produce Regulatory Authority (COPRA) to drive digital transformation in the agriculture sector. The two organisations have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which they commit to enhance market linkages, advance pricing transparency and introduce mobile money payments in agricultural value chains. The partnership will also support digital skills for Tanzanian farmers.
Photo credit: Mixx by Yas
This is the latest initiative by the fintech, which is actively engaging in digital agriculture initiatives such as KilimoPesa, a digital agriculture loan service for smallholder farmers. COPRA is a government regulatory body tasked with overseeing and regulating the production, marketing, and trade of cereals and related agricultural produce.
09/07/25
Maharashtra launches MahaAgri-AI policy for digital agriculture
The Indian state of Maharashtra has approved MahaAgri-AI 2025–29, a policy aimed at accelerating the adoption of AI and emerging technologies in agriculture. The initiative will support the use of generative AI, and contextual emerging technologies like drones, robotics, computer vision, and predictive analytics, to enhance agricultural productivity and decision-making.
The policy is designed to complement national platforms such as AgriStack, part of the central government’s Digital Agriculture Mission (DAM), while also advancing state-level programmes like Maha-Agritech and CropSAPP. Maha-Agritech was launched in 2019 and aims to digitally monitor the entire crop cycle using satellite data and AI for crop monitoring and yield estimation. CropSAPP is a mobile and web platform that provides farmers with digital tools for pest tracking, insurance, and crop planning.
MahaAgri-AI aims to improve advisory services, enable precision farming, and establish traceability systems across value chains. The policy also extends the Mahavedh project under the national WINDS programme, with plans to install automated weather stations at the gram panchayat level (local village governance) to deliver localised, real-time weather data to farmers.
30/06/25
Good reads: New report highlights CGIAR’s role in advancing digital agriculture
CGIAR has published the Impacts in Agrifood Systems 2022–2024 report, the first consolidated assessment of the organisation’s contributions to outcomes and impacts across the global agrifood system. The study provides comprehensive data on the CGIAR’s contributions to digital agriculture and agritech innovations worldwide. In 2022-2024, the organisation facilitated the deployment of 471 innovations, many incorporating advanced technologies such as remote sensing, AI, data analytics, and mobile applications designed to improve crop management, pest monitoring, and climate resilience.
CGIAR states that these digital tools have reached over 20 million farmers across 62 countries, enabling access to precision farming techniques, yield forecasting, and real-time advisory services. The report also highlights that CGIAR’s research and innovations have contributed to drive USD 3.3 billion in third-party investments, supporting the scaling and adoption of digital agriculture solutions.
In addition, the organisation has contributed to 315 policy changes aimed at strengthening the regulatory environment including the wider adoption of agritech technologies. The report highlights CGIAR’s role in fostering sustainable, data-driven agricultural practices that improve productivity, resilience, and farmer livelihoods globally. The full report is available at CGIAR Impacts in Agrifood Systems.