International Finance Corporation has announced a partnership with Senegalese agricultural-technology company Tolbi to expand smallholder farmers’ access to crop advice, finance and markets. The 4 November announcement sets an ambition to reach two million farmers and cooperatives by 2030 through the company’s services and associated investment support.
Tolbi combines satellite observations, artificial intelligence and information collected by field agents to monitor crop conditions, estimate yields and offer guidance. The system aims to help farmers make planting and input decisions while providing financial institutions and buyers with more usable information about agricultural production.
IFC said its investment, supported through the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program’s business investment financing track, will help expand the company’s precision-agriculture services. The two-million figure is a programme objective, not a count of farmers who have already received the full package of support.
Farmers and agricultural businesses often face difficulties accessing credit when lenders have limited information about production prospects and weather-related risks. Better records and estimates may help reduce information gaps, but forecasts are imperfect and loans still require responsible affordability assessments and appropriate consumer protection.
The partnership offers an example of how digital agriculture tools could connect technical advice with finance and buyer relationships in West Africa. Assessing its impact will require evidence of service adoption, improved farm outcomes and finance actually received, not merely the number of potential users covered by the technology.
Have a verified news development or correction? Contact news@inafrika.co.tz.
Kiswahili 
English 
Français 
Português 
简体中文