We began in 2005 as an organization funding agricultural research focused on technical innovations.

In 2008 we introduced new programmes focused on value-chains and how small and medium scale farmers can access profitable markets.  We supported a portfolio of over 30 projects spread across the region, and dealing with strengthening agricultural value chains; building ‘investable entities” of smallholders to enable them become key players in local, national, and regional value chains; improving financial services for small and medium scale agricultural enterprises; and creating avenues for scaling-up technical, policy, and institutional innovations.

Our experience has shown us that, to reduce poverty, efforts must be directed at establishing viable “investable entities” of small and medium size agricultural enterprises that can meet quantities, quality standards, and timely deliveries demanded by other actors in the value chains, as well as the profitability levels demanded by investors and financiers.

Our work has built such entities and then supported tri-partite partnership building between the investable entities of agri-SMEs, large scale agri-business and/or agro- processors, and commercial banks.