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High-biomass pasture that animals digest easily A practical forage product line for seed companies, fodder producers, and dairy/beef value chains. These hybrids support seed sales and hay production by delivering high biomass and good feed quality when managed well. (Cut-and-carry suitability is especially strong for Cobra due to its erect growth habit.)
Better grass. Better livestock. Urochloa grasses are a profitable venture for forage producers and seed companies. The cultivars—Basilisk, MG‑4, Piatá and Xaraes—are public goods, so seeds are available through private suppliers without royalty fees. Each hectare can yield 8–15 t of dried forage with 8–15 % protein. Deep roots allow the grasses to stay green during dry spells and thrive on poor or acidic soils. Stands can be harvested every 8–12 weeks, producing fresh forage, hay or silage. In Kenya, initial costs of around USD 1 116 per hectare were recouped quickly, with profits of USD 1 384–1 899 per hectare. Demand is strong because the grasses boost milk yields and weight gain. Businesses should plan for weed control during establishment and invest in equipment for cutting and baling.
High-biomass, drought-tolerant forage for reliable feed all year Seasonal feed shortages and climate variability limit livestock productivity in smallholder systems. Megathyrsus maximus cultivars (Mombasa, Tanzania, Massai) offer a high-yielding (10–20 t DM/ha/year), drought-tolerant forage with good nutritional quality, ensuring reliable year-round feed supply. Their deep root systems also improve soil structure and reduce erosion, supporting more resilient and sustainable livestock production.
Dry Out the Methane. Green Up Your Harvest. Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is an easy, low-cost water-saving method for growing rice. Instead of keeping the rice field continuously flooded, farmers let the field dry out for several days between irrigations. The timing is guided by a simple field water tube (often bamboo or a PVC pipe) installed in the paddy. When the water level inside this tube drops to 15 cm below the soil surface, it is time to irrigate again. This alternating cycle cuts water use by about 25–30%, and helps reduce methane (a powerful greenhouse gas). By using AWD, farmers save money on irrigation costs (less pumping or water fees) while producing the same amount of rice, making them more resilient to water scarcity.
The sun’s energy at the service of your harvest The Solar Pump is a solar-powered irrigation system that uses photovoltaic (PV) pumps to lift water and irrigate crops, offering an economical and sustainable alternative to fossil fuel-powered pumps. It combines solar pumps (SIPS) with water distribution systems such as drip, sprinkler, or simple hose, and can be combined with tailored financing models to improve access for smallholder farmers. Typically operating on direct current (DC) without an inverter, it is particularly suitable for off-grid rural areas.
Easy Water Access for Every Smallholder The Shallow Groundwater Tube well is a simple and economical technology for exploiting shallow groundwater (up to 20 m), particularly suited to floodplain areas with sedimentary formations. It involves manually drilling or jetting a narrow hole fitted with a PVC pipe (50 or 63 mm), from which water is pumped using a small, low-power pump powered by fuel or solar energy. This solution provides small farmers with efficient access to water for irrigation during the dry season, covering up to 1 ha, and also meets agricultural and watering needs. Easy to implement, inexpensive, and compatible with solar pumping, the technology increases water autonomy, reduces dependence on fossil fuels, and supports sustainable and resilient agriculture, provided that local hydrogeological conditions are well understood.
The Fast Track to Climate-Smart Farming Zainer creates an efficient and cost-effective approach to Zai farming by enabling farmers to mechanize the drilling of planting holes used for rainwater harvesting. The technology reduces labor requirements by nearly 87%, from approximately 300 hours to 40 hours per hectare, while improving moisture conservation and supporting crop production in dryland sorghum, millet, and maize systems.
More yield, better quality, stronger resilience! Improved yam varieties present profitable business opportunities across the yam value chain — from seed multiplication to commercial production, processing, and marketing. With high yields, early maturity, and uniform, market-preferred tubers, they offer reliable raw materials for food processors and attractive products for traders.
High-yielding, early maturing, and striga-resistant cowpea varieties for farmers! IITA’s improved cowpea varieties present a lucrative opportunity for agribusiness and seed companies. These varieties mature early within 65–76 days, produce high yields above 1.5 t/ha, and are resistant to Striga, Alectra, and key diseases. With attractive, fast-cooking white seeds preferred by consumers, they meet growing market demand. By investing in these varieties, businesses can capture a stable and profitable market, increase seed sales, and support farmers in achieving higher productivity and income.
Scan Nutrients. Get Answers. Act Fast. The AgroCares handheld Nutrient Scanner is a portable, digital tool that delivers instant nutrient analysis of soil, leaves, and feed. With a smartphone and app, agro-service providers can offer rapid testing to clients anywhere—eliminating delays and reducing costs. This creates a new revenue stream, improves customer loyalty, and supports precise input sales. With each scan, data flows to the cloud, building business intelligence for product development or advisory services. The device requires no chemicals, is easy to use, and scales efficiently across locations.
Yam leaf-bud cuttings, rapid quality seed production! Leaf-bud Cuttings present a profitable innovation for agribusinesses in the yam value chain by offering a cost-effective and scalable method to produce seed yam. Instead of using heavy, transport-expensive tubers, businesses can generate dozens of clean planting materials from a single vine, meeting the rising demand for certified seed yam while significantly cutting production and logistics costs. This creates a new market opportunity for seed entrepreneurs to supply farmers, NGOs, and institutional buyers while increasing profitability and sustainability. Investing in this technology can give businesses a competitive edge in the growing yam sector.
Transforming Cassava Farming Through Entrepreneurial Innovation! Cassava is a key staple crop in Sub-Saharan Africa, critical for both food security and income generation. Yet, the traditional cassava seed system has been fragmented and unsustainable, primarily relying on informal farmer-to-farmer sharing and ad hoc free distributions from governments and NGOs. This system has contributed to the widespread use of low-quality, disease-prone seeds, significantly limiting productivity and the adoption of improved varieties. The Cassava Seed Entrepreneur (CSE) Business Model presents a scalable, market-driven solution to modernize the cassava seed system. It empowers rural men, women, and youth by transforming them into certified seed entrepreneurs, enabling them to produce and distribute high-quality, certified cassava planting materials. The model integrates training, digital tools, and strategic partnerships to ensure a consistent supply of clean seeds. As a result, it not only boosts cassava yields but also creates new business opportunities and enhances rural livelihoods, providing an attractive investment opportunity for the private sector.
Structure, Trace, Scale & Connect with Solutions eProd is a digital supply chain management platform designed for agriculture. It helps organizations register farmers, monitor production, ensure traceability, and manage payments efficiently. The system is modular, works offline, and integrates easily with other digital tools.
Build an efficient seed system! Seed Tracker is a business-friendly digital tool that helps seed companies and entrepreneurs manage, certify, and market high-quality seed. It improves traceability, inventory tracking, and connects producers with buyers—all through a secure and easy-to-use digital platform.
Improved cassava varieties crucial for enhancing food security, increasing farmer incomes, and reducing poverty in Africa. The technology is a market-driven cassava breeding system that develops improved varieties based on market needs, such as for fresh consumption, processing, or biofortification. It involves stakeholder input, standard breeding methods, and regulatory collaboration for variety release. Adoption is promoted through trials, launch events, and media campaigns, aligning breeding with market demand to boost cassava productivity and value chain performance.
Intense Heat, Rich Aroma, Market Ready! This group of round pepper varieties delivers high heat, rich aroma, and consistent fruit quality—ideal for commercial production. Seed companies, aggregators, and processors can meet growing demand for flavorful peppers in both fresh and processed markets. Their uniform size, strong taste profile, and bright colour make them a great fit for spice blends, chili pastes, powders, and packaged retail products.
Strong Against Disease, Hot on the Market. This group of long pepper varieties are high-yielding, disease-resistant pepper varieties developed for commercial success in tropical climates. It thrives in hot, disease-prone zones with stable yields and high market appeal (medium heat, rich in Vitamin C). With up to 345% ROI on a 1-hectare investment and suitability for fresh and processed markets, PS PEP 1 offers strong business potential for seed companies, aggregators, processors, and input dealers seeking reliable returns and market growth.
Biochar, a powerfully circular way to fight climate change Sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural productivity is hampered by degraded soils and high input losses. Over 40% of soils lack structure and nutrients, limiting their ability to retain water and fertiliser. Farmers typically use only 20 kg of fertiliser per hectare—far below the global average—resulting in low returns on investment. Meanwhile, the region's dependence on biomass for energy creates environmental and supply chain risks due to deforestation. Biochar presents a business opportunity to deliver value-added products and services that tackle both soil health and sustainable energy use. As a soil enhancer, it increases nutrient retention and fertilizer efficiency, helping farmers maximize yields and reduce costs. As a carbon-rich material, it aligns with green investment and carbon market initiatives. Investing in biochar solutions opens the door to scalable, climate-smart agri-business models.
long lasting banana nicknamed 'kiwangazi' by farmers. The KABANA 6H/NARITA7 is a high-yielding banana hybrid developed by IITA and NARO. It’s known for its tolerance to diseases like black Sigatoka and pests like weevils and nematodes, which increases the longevity of banana plantations. With a real-life yield of 57.7 kg per bunch and a potential yield of 60 tons/ha/year, it offers significant economic return. This variety was introduced to combat the decreased lifespan and yield decline in Uganda’s banana plantations.
Empowering Rice Farmers with RiceAdvice Lite Accessing information about the most effective agronomic and management practices for rice cultivation remains a challenge for millions of farmers in remote areas of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) due to limited communication resources and low literacy rates. Additionally, issues like fertilizer misapplication and suboptimal rice management contribute to decreased productivity and sustainability, posing risks to food security for millions of people. To address these challenges and improve information dissemination to rice-growing communities throughout SSA, the "RiceAdvice Lite" technology offers tailored recommendations for optimal sowing timing, fertilizer usage, and other essential agricultural practices for both irrigated and rainfed lowland rice cultivation.
We know cassava The AKILIMO application offers personalized agronomic advice for cassava farmers, aiding in decisions related to land preparation, planting and harvesting schedules, fertilizer use, and intercropping. It predicts yields and provides tailored recommendations to maximize profits. Utilizing decision trees and algorithms based on field trials and modeling, it's accessible as a printable guide, smartphone app, interactive voice response system, and chatbot. Currently available in southern Nigeria and Tanzania, it caters to users of all literacy levels through various formats, including paper-based tools and a smartphone app downloadable from the Google Play Store.
Rice-Fish System Boosts Profits, Enhances Lowland Land Use for Food Security and Prosperity The rice-fish farming system emerged as a solution to address various agricultural challenges. It was developed to counter widespread food and nutrition insecurity, the vulnerability of smallholder rice farmers to market shocks due to a lack of diversification, and environmental pollution resulting from excessive agrochemical use. This innovative approach not only enhances food and nutrition security but also boosts smallholder farmers' income through the combined sale of rice and fish. Additionally, the system promotes environmental safety by eliminating the need for agrochemicals, contributing to sustainable and resilient agricultural practices.
Unleashing the Power of High-Yielding Orange Maize Across Africa! The new maize variety, born out of agricultural innovation, has been developed to address specific challenges faced in maize cultivation in Africa. Engineered with features such as early maturity, increased resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, and adaptation to the African climate, this variety aims to enhance maize yields and production sustainability. By incorporating modern farming practices, it provides a promising solution to improve food security in the region and promote agriculture resilient to environmental changes.
Unleash Prosperity with Our Drought-Tolerant White Grain Sorghum Hybrid This groundbreaking technology in high-yielding white grain sorghum hybrids represents an innovative response to critical challenges in sorghum cultivation. Developed in the context of a growing need for high-quality, abundant sorghum production, this exceptional variety delivers significantly increased yields compared to traditional methods. Its advantage lies not only in its capacity to produce more but also in its adaptability to changing environmental conditions, including enhanced resistance to water stress. This technology redefines the standard for sorghum cultivation by providing a versatile and reliable solution for farmers, ensuring plentiful and quality harvests across diverse climatic contexts.
Unleashing Prosperity with Resilient Rice - Medium Cycle, Maximum Yield, Unmatched Quality The Rice Swarna 2 technology emerges as an innovative solution to critical challenges in rice cultivation. Developed in response to the increasing demand for high-yield, high-quality rice, this revolutionary variety addresses traditional issues such as low yields, insufficient milling rates, and susceptibility to diseases like Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) and blast disease. With yields reaching up to 10 tons per hectare, a milling rate exceeding 70%, and enhanced disease resistance, Rice Swarna 2 signifies a significant breakthrough. It provides farmers with a cost-effective and sustainable solution to meet the growing demand for superior-quality rice.
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