Crop4Shares: Ownership Infrastructure for Smallholder Farmers
Description
Crop4Shares helps smallholder farmers become business owners instead of just crop sellers. We organize farmers into groups that collectively buy supplies, sell harvests, and invest in processing equipment like mills and storage facilities. Using mobile technology and transparent record-keeping, farmers can now earn income from both their crops and the businesses they own together. This transforms them from vulnerable farmers into empowered entrepreneurs building lasting wealth
Impact
Crop4Shares creates transformative socio-economic impact by fundamentally shifting smallholder farmers from subsistence agriculture to wealth creation. Economically, it increases farmer incomes by 50-300% through collective bargaining and value addition, while creating new revenue streams from shared asset ownership. Socially, it builds community resilience through cooperative governance, enhances financial inclusion via mobile technology, and particularly empowers women who comprise 40% of agricultural labor. The model transforms rural economies by keeping wealth within local communities rather than being extracted by intermediaries, ultimately breaking intergenerational cycles of poverty
Target Audience
Smallholder farmers in East Africa, particularly women and youth who typically face the greatest barriers to financial inclusion and asset ownership. Our initial focus is on maize and sunflower farmers in Uganda who currently sell raw commodities but lack access to processing infrastructure and fair markets. Secondary beneficiaries include local communities who gain from job creation in value-added processing and more stable local economies.
Industrial Value Chains
Partnerships
Individual (self-led or personal innovation)
Innovation Details
January 1, 2025
Contact Information
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