Mercy Corps AgriFin is set to host its 8th Annual Learning Event (ALE) on October 15-16, 2024, under the theme “Enabling Rural Economies: Creating Lasting Impact for the Digital Ecosystem in Africa.”
The event will be hosted in collaboration with Mercy Corps partners, FSD Tanzania, Climate Policy Initiative (CPI), FSD Kenya, The World Bank, Farm to Market Alliance, SPARC, IDH, IDEO, and AICCRA.
The two-day event will bring together over 400 participants from across the digital agriculture landscape including digital farmer service providers, government representatives, policymakers, investors, and donors to address the challenges and opportunities facing startups, small-scale producers, and key stakeholders in the sector.
Several years ago, Mercy Corps AgriFin and its partners embraced the challenge of supporting the development of African AgTech, FinTech, and climate-smart digital agricultural services.
In recent years, technology startups, their teams, and investors have faced unprecedented challenges across the continent.
These difficulties are particularly pronounced for those working to enhance the livelihoods of small-scale producers and strengthen rural economies.
This is a vital time for Africa-focused stakeholders to pause, reflect, and support determined founders and teams in making a lasting impact.
While many lessons have been learned over the years, there is an urgent need for a deeper discussion on the conditions necessary to create sustainable, technology-driven solutions in Africa.
The 2024 AgriFin Learning Event on October 15-16 in Nairobi will provide a platform for open dialogue, hearing from CEOs, practitioners and small-scale producers alike.
Attendees will explore regulatory enablers and barriers, aiming to identify how digital ecosystem players can drive inclusive and sustainable agricultural transformation.
The event will seek to ideate, define, and develop strategic breakthroughs that will redefine partnerships and innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, recognizing the rising significance of digital public goods and infrastructure.
This year’s ALE will emphasize how regulatory enablers and barriers affect the growth of digital agriculture startups. Discussions will also explore how AI and alternative data can be leveraged to enhance agricultural productivity and resilience among other topics.
Additionally, participants will address how public sector data can be better utilized to provide small-scale producers with access to digital financial services and critical information.
“The 8th AgriFin Learning Event will highlight emerging and promising pathways to drive uptake and enhance the scalability of technology-driven solutions for smallholder farmers’ agriculture in Africa and beyond.
It will also explore the potential of leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and alternative data to create lasting impacts on rural economies,” said Grace Njoroge, Technical Director-Programs at Mercy Corps AgriFin.
Throughout the event, participants will tackle several key issues that will define the future of digital agricultural transformation in Africa including: The current state and maturity of digital agriculture tools and AgTech organizations, Public sector data sets and their role in supporting small-scale producers.
They will also discuss the potential of AI and alternative data for scaling digital agriculture solutions and financing models and strategies for supporting climate-resilient food systems.
The role of partnerships in enabling startups to scale and thrive will also feature in the event as well as the regulatory policies that can foster a more inclusive and sustainable digital agricultural ecosystem.
