Lersha

What Lersha does

Lersha, operated by Green Agro Solution PLC, is an Ethiopian phy-gital digital agriculture platform founded around 2018–2019 and headquartered in Addis Ababa. It serves smallholder farmers with a bundled offering of farm inputs, mechanization services, dynamic agro-climate advisory, microloans, crop insurance, and output market linkage. Distribution combines a mobile/web app and a 7860 call center with a 2,000+ Lersha Agent network of trained youth (ages 18–35) who register farmers, take orders, deliver advisory, and aggregate produce across six Ethiopian regions and Kenya. The platform connects 270,000+ smallholder farmers with 250+ service providers, banks (e.g., Dashen Bank), insurers (Oromia Insurance, Abay Insurance), off-takers, and research institutes (CIMMYT, CIAT, AICCRA).

Name

Lersha

Legal name

Green Agro Solution PLC

Website

https://lersha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lersha is an Ethiopian phy-gital digital agriculture platform that connects 270,000+ smallholder farmers to farm inputs, mechanization, agro-climate advisory, microloans, insurance, and off-takers via a 2,000+ agent network and a mobile app with a 7860 call center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Agriculture Platform (AgriTech)

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Finance, Input Procurement & Risk Tools (Budgeting, Inventory, Insurance Links) (AFAAAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Farm Data Management & Decision Support Services (FMIS Setup, Data Integration, Analytics) (AFACACAC)

Keywords

• Digital agriculture platform
• Smallholder farmer services
• Agro-advisory solutions
• Agri-fintech platform
• Market linkage services

Headquarters

HQ city

Addis Ababa

HQ country

Ethiopia

HQ region

Africa

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketplace and Aggregation Services: Facilitates purchase of farm inputs and aggregation of outputs (including livestock) through the Lersha platform, enabling agents and service providers to earn commissions on transactions; off-takers place orders through the platform for aggregated produce.
2. Access to Finance Platform Services: Provides financial institutions with farmer data, digital credit scoring, dashboards, and loan-monitoring tools in exchange for service fees or transaction share; supports in-kind loan distribution and crop insurance enrollment.
3. Advisory and Data Services to Partners: Sells/discloses agro-climatic advisories, fertilizer recommendations, and farmer data insights to research institutes, insurance firms, banks, and development partners.
4. Investment and Grant Capital: Receives development and impact investment (e.g., IFC $1M convertible loan) and grant/project funding (e.g., African Development Bank CREW project) to scale operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lersha operates a phy-gital digital agriculture platform that gives smallholder farmers access to farm inputs, mechanization services, agro-climate advisory, credit, insurance, and market linkage through the Lersha Mobile App, a 2,000+ Lersha Agent network, and a 7860 call center. The platform bundles three software modules—Access To Finance, Agri-Service Provision, and Market Linkage—together with digital credit scoring, an offline data collection app, and an API-driven agro-advisory engine that delivers location-specific fertilizer and bi-weekly climate recommendations translated into four local languages.

Product overview

Lersha is a platform-plus-modules architecture rather than a single product: the umbrella LERSHA Digital Platform (and mobile app), developed by Green Agro Solution PLC, sits on top of a 2,000+ Lersha Agent network and a Call Center (shortcode 7860), and bundles three core product modules — Access To Finance Digital Tools (farmers data management, credit scoring, dashboard for banks), Agri-Service Provision Digital Tools (farm inputs, mechanization, dynamic agroclimatic advisory/fertilizer recommendations), and Market Linkage Digital Tools (off-taker ordering, aggregation, delivery tracking) — together with a set of supporting apps and dashboards (Service Provider App, OSS App, Off-taker App, Contract Farming Dashboard, Data Collection App, Dashboard for Banks, and Credit Assessment Tools) that connect smallholder farmers to inputs, mechanization, finance, insurance, advisory, and buyers across Ethiopia and Kenya.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Access To Finance Digital Tools A digital lending suite that collects, analyzes, and scores farmer data to manage and distribute in-kind microloans, enabling financial institutions to confidently lend to smallholder farmers. Bundles the Farmers Data Management Tool, the Credit Score Tool, and a Dashboard for Banks. Targeted at banks, microfinance institutions, and crop insurers serving smallholder farmers in Ethiopia.
• Agri-Service Provision Digital Tools A service-provision module that connects smallholder farmers to farm inputs, dynamic agroclimatic advisory, fertilizer recommendations, and mechanization services through the Lersha Agent network and Lersha mobile app. Targeted at smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and Kenya needing access to inputs, mechanization, and advisory.
• Market Linkage Digital Tools A market-linkage module that connects livestock producers and other value-chain actors with large-scale off-takers; supports off-taker registration, one-click ordering, agent-led aggregation, delivery tracking, and quality assurance. Targeted at off-takers, processors, and large-scale buyers sourcing livestock and crops from Ethiopian smallholders.
• Lersha Mobile App / Lersha Digital Platform The umbrella Lersha Digital Platform and mobile app that bundles Access To Finance, Agri-Service Provision, and Market Linkage modules, plus the Lersha Agent Network and Call Center 7860. Targeted at smallholder farmers, Lersha Agents, service providers, financial institutions, and off-takers across Ethiopia and Kenya.
• Lersha Agent Network and Call Center (shortcode 7860) Phy-gital distribution layer of 2,000+ Lersha Agents across Ethiopia and Kenya, supported by a call center (shortcode 7860) for inbound and outbound advisory. Agents onboard farmers, deliver advisory, take input orders, hire mechanization services, and aggregate produce. Targeted at smallholder farmers lacking smartphones or literacy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 270,000+ smallholder farmers connected to the platform
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship / core, strategic and minor.

• CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnder the AICCRA initiative, Lersha partners with CIMMYT and Ethiopia's Ministry of Agriculture to deliver Digital Climate Advisory Services to smallholder wheat farmers. The program has reached 2,470 farmers and trained 65 LERSHA field agents as part of the African Development Bank-funded CREW project (Dec 2024–May 2026).
• Global Center on Adaptation (GCA)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupports the Digital Climate Advisory Services initiative alongside CIMMYT to help Ethiopian wheat farmers anticipate climate risks and build resilience.
• Alliance Bioversity International and CIATflagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed a Location-Specific Fertilizer Recommendation (LSFR) / NextGen agro-advisory bundle with insurance and credit; piloted in Oromia and Amhara Woredas. Lersha extracts advisory recommendations via API and delivers them in four local languages. Joint field day held on November 4, 2023 in Digelu Tijo District.
• Oromia InsurancestrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides area-yield-index agricultural insurance to smallholders enrolled through the Lersha platform as part of the bundling pilot.
• Abay InsurancestrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides area-yield-index agricultural insurance to smallholders enrolled through the Lersha platform as part of the bundling pilot.
• ATI (Agricultural Transformation Institute)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisplayed among Lersha's partners and clients, supporting Ethiopia's agricultural transformation agenda.
• ILRI (International Livestock Research Institute)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner displayed in the Lersha partners and clients section, supporting livestock and value-chain work.
• GSMAstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisplayed in the partners and clients section; supports mobile-based agriculture and digital inclusion initiatives.
• AICCRA (Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa)flagship / coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCGIAR climate research initiative under which Lersha partners with CIMMYT to digitally disseminate agro-climate information.
• German Cooperation (GIZ / German Coop)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed in the Lersha partners and clients section as a development cooperation partner.
• GFA Consulting GroupstrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerListed in the Lersha partners and clients section as a consulting/implementation partner.
• GIC (German Insurance Confederation)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among Lersha's partners and clients.
• Arsi UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepresented in the partner logos and participated in the Digelu Tijo field day with farmers, agents, and insurance experts.
• Wolkite UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner in the Lersha partner logos section.
• Bahir Dar University (BDU)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner in the Lersha partner logos section, supporting research and capacity in the Amhara region.
• Hawassa UniversitystrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner in the Lersha partner logos section, supporting work in the Sidama / Southern regions.
• Jigjiga UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner in the Lersha partner logos section, supporting engagement in the Somali region.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Twiga Foods: Kenyan B2B food distribution platform that aggregates produce from smallholder farmers and delivers to off-takers via technology-enabled logistics. Directly comparable to Lersha's Market Linkage Digital Tools and off-taker registration workflow.
• AgroStar: India-based agri-input marketplace and advisory platform serving smallholders via mobile and a last-mile agent network. Comparable input-procurement-plus-advisory bundle and agent-led distribution approach.
• ThriveAgric: Nigeria-based agritech platform providing input financing, extension advisory, and market access to smallholder farmers across multiple value chains. Comparable bundled services and African smallholder focus.
• Hello Tractor: Nigeria-headquartered mechanization marketplace connecting smallholder farmers to tractor owners via a digital platform and agent network. Directly comparable to Lersha's mechanization-services module and last-mile distribution approach for African smallholders.
• Apollo Agriculture: Kenya-based digital agriculture platform that bundles input financing, advisory, and market access for smallholder farmers using a hybrid agent-plus-mobile model. Closest functional analog to Lersha's phy-gital smallholder platform in East Africa.

Emerging players

• iShamba: Kenyan mobile-based agricultural advisory service delivering weather alerts, agronomy tips, and market prices to smallholder farmers via SMS and call center. Closely comparable to Lersha's bi-weekly climate advisory and call-center-based farmer engagement model.
• DigiCow: Kenyan digital platform providing livestock and crop farmers with agronomy advisory, record-keeping, and access to services via mobile. Overlaps with Lersha's agro-advisory and livestock market linkage offerings in East Africa.

Broad incumbents

• DeHaat: India-based full-stack platform offering inputs, agronomy advisory, financing, and market linkage to smallholders through a micro-enterprise network. Operates at much larger scale than Lersha but is the canonical bundled smallholder-services platform in an emerging market.
• Cropin: Global agri-intelligence platform offering farm data management, predictive analytics, and traceability to agribusinesses and financial institutions. Comparable to Lersha's farm data management and credit scoring capabilities, but oriented toward enterprise customers rather than smallholders.
• One Acre Fund (Tupande): Large Africa-focused social enterprise delivering inputs on credit, agronomic training, and market support to smallholders through a field-officer network. Comparable in farmer-facing services and bundled credit-plus-advisory model, though operates as a non-profit at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Lershaapp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lershaapp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lersha