Farm Africa

What Farm Africa does

Farm Africa is a UK-registered charity founded in 1985 by Sir Michael Wood and David Campbell in response to the Ethiopian famine, incorporated as Farm Africa Limited (Company No. 01926828, Charity No. 326901) with headquarters in London and a wholly-owned US non-profit subsidiary, Farm Africa USA, established in 1998. It operates sustainable agriculture and rural development programmes in five eastern African countries — Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and DR Congo — delivered through country offices and a field workforce of 230+ staff out of 250+ total employees. The organisation works in direct partnership with smallholder farmers, farmer groups, cooperatives, small businesses, and pastoralist communities, with dedicated focus on women farmers and youth in agriculture.

The portfolio is organised around climate-smart agriculture, participatory forest management, agroforestry (including a carbon-removal unit initiative with Acorn/Rabobank), sustainable coffee, aquaculture, livestock, and clean off-grid energy, plus market access, financial inclusion, and gender-transformation work. Rather than a single product, Farm Africa runs a portfolio of named donor-funded programmes — NOURISH, CASCADE, Acorn agroforestry, Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture, SAVES, Farm to Market Alliance, Powerfarm, Galileo Embu Living Lab, and Clean Cooking and Reforestation — built on training, input provision, cooperative strengthening, and market linkage facilitation. The only digital channel disclosed is mobile text messaging for agricultural extension; there is no technology platform or API.

The revenue model is donation-based. Total income was £16.9M in 2023 against £16.5M of expenditure in 2024, of which £14.4M was programme implementation in Africa (87p of every £1). Revenue streams are diversified across institutional donors (EU, SIDA, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Mastercard Foundation, AGRA, GIZ, UBS Optimus), trusts and foundations, corporate partnerships (Waitrose Foundation since 2017, Sainsbury's, Driscoll's, S'ABLE Labs, Barfoots, Farmer J), major-gift philanthropy via a Giving Circle with a £5,000 minimum, individual giving (one-off, regular, payroll, Gift Aid, legacies), and community fundraising, with BBC Radio 4 appeal and corporate cause-marketing supplementing acquisition.

Name

Farm Africa

Legal name

Farm Africa Limited

Website

https://farmafrica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Farm Africa is a UK-registered charity founded in 1985 that partners with smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and small businesses across Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and DR Congo to deliver sustainable agriculture, agroforestry, climate resilience, and market access programmes funded by institutional donors, foundations, corporate partners, and individual supporters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Development Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Support Activities for Animal Production (115210), Farm Management Services (115116)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture & Food Security Development (BPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainable Agriculture, Food Systems & Land Management (BPADALAG), Carbon, Sustainability & MRV Services for Farms (Baseline, Monitoring, Reporting, Verification) (AFACACAK), Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems (BPAGAGAI)

Keywords

• Sustainable agriculture programmes
• Smallholder farmer support
• Climate-smart agriculture
• Agroforestry development
• Food security initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Donor Funding: Funding from institutional donors such as Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Ethiopia, European Union, and other government development agencies.
2. Individual Donations: Direct marketing appeals, legacies, one-off donations, and regular giving via direct debit or standing order from individual supporters.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Strategic and brand partnerships with companies aligned with Farm Africa's mission, including cause-related marketing campaigns and employee engagement programmes.
4. Trusts and Foundations: Funding from UK, European, USA, and African foundations supporting development programmes.
5. Philanthropy: Major gifts from visionary philanthropists with minimum investment of £5,000, and Donor-Advised Fund contributions.
6. Community Fundraising: Community-based fundraising activities and events.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Farm Africa is a charity that delivers sustainable agricultural development programmes in partnership with smallholder farmers and small businesses across eastern Africa. Its core offering covers climate-smart agriculture, agroforestry, participatory forest management, aquaculture, sustainable coffee, rangeland management, renewable energy for off-grid communities, and market access initiatives, all aimed at increasing farmer incomes, boosting productivity, and protecting ecosystems.

Product overview

Farm Africa is a charitable organization that does not operate a single unified product but rather manages a diverse portfolio of development programmes focused on sustainable agriculture in eastern Africa. The organization's programmes include agricultural interventions (seed systems, agribusiness support, aquaculture, livestock), environmental protection initiatives (forest management, reforestation, agroforestry, clean cooking), and market access programmes (farm-to-market alliances, enterprise support, financial inclusion). Key programmes include the NOURISH food security project, Acorn agroforestry carbon initiative, Powerfarm renewable energy solution, and various youth and women empowerment initiatives. The organization utilizes digital tools including mobile text messaging for agricultural extension services but does not offer a technology product in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clean Cooking and Reforestation in Refugee and Host Communities A UNHCR-funded programme that works with Tree Aid, ICRAF CIFOR, BB Energy, Hamerkop and Fairventures to expand clean cooking solutions and deliver large-scale reforestation in refugee hosting communities in Rwanda and Uganda.
• Farm to Market Alliance A market access programme that establishes farmer service centres (FSCs) as critical hubs in agribusiness, addressing last-mile inefficiencies and providing farmers with access to farm inputs, agricultural extension services, and finance.
• Participatory Forest Management A forest conservation programme in Ethiopia that supports forest community-based organisations (CBOs) to produce and sell high-quality coffee, improve livestock productivity sustainably, and generate knowledge for livelihood and conservation activities.
• Nature-based Solutions for Sustainable and Inclusive Development (NSSID) A four-year Ethiopia programme, implemented with nine partners, that reduces poverty, builds climate resilience, and protects the environment through nature-based solutions across three eco-regional clusters.
• Gender Transformation and Climate Resilience A project helping rural communities in Ethiopia's Afar and Oromia Regional States adapt to climate change by strengthening the role of women in natural resource management and reshaping gender-biased social norms.
• Forest-friendly Livelihoods to Protect Biodiversity in the Bale Eco-region A programme supporting smallholder farmers and agro-pastoralists in Ethiopia's Bale Eco-region to develop forest-friendly livelihoods, including sustainable coffee production, agroforestry, and woodlot establishment.
• Growing Stronger Markets with Quality Seeds An AGRA-funded project in eastern Uganda that supports smallholder farmers to adopt nutritious, market-demanded, climate-resilient rice, beans, and maize seed varieties, with training delivered by village-based advisors.
• Youth and Women in Agribusiness A Tanzania programme (Dodoma and Singida regions) targeting 60,000 smallholder farmers — including half women and over 28,000 young people — to sustainably increase incomes through sunflower, sorghum, and horticulture value chains.
• Acorn Agroforestry An agroforestry project launched in 2020 in partnership with Acorn, Rabobank and AGRA that integrates carbon-based incentives with sustainable agriculture, supporting Kenyan farmers to adopt agroforestry and monetise carbon stored in trees via Carbon Removal Units (CRUs) with 80% of revenue returned to farmers.
• NOURISH A five-year food security project in Tanzania's central-northern zone and Southern Highlands, targeting smallholder farmer households at greatest risk of food insecurity who farm less than two hectares.
• Powerfarm A clean, multi-energy pilot initiative that integrates solar, wind, and anaerobic digestion technologies to provide reliable renewable energy for off-grid communities in rural Tanzania.
• Galileo: Embu Living Lab An EU-funded project launched in 2025 bringing together farmers, researchers, and local partners in Embu County, Kenya, to co-develop and test practical agroforestry solutions through innovative farming systems.
• Sustainable Agricultural Value Chain Enterprises in Central Kenya (SAVES) An AGRA-funded project in central Kenya (Meru, Kirinyaga, and Laikipia counties) that creates sustainable, inclusive agricultural systems increasing food security, incomes, and climate resilience for smallholder farmers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 767,155 people reached in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunding partner supporting smallholder farmers in eastern Uganda to adopt improved seed varieties and climate-smart agriculture practices.
• RabobankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Acorn agroforestry project, integrating carbon-based incentives with sustainable agriculture.
• Forests of the WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organisation partnering on forest conservation projects.
• Vi-AgroforestryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on agroforestry initiatives.
• WUSCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational organisation partnering on development programmes.
• Waitrose FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2017, working together to improve lives of over 20,000 farmers in vegetable and flower supply chain. Won Business Charity Award in 2023.
• Sainsbury'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn-store promotions supporting Farm Africa, including 10p per pack donation on green beans.
• S'ABLE LabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSkincare brand founded by Sabrina and Idris Elba supporting Farm Africa through product sales.
• The London Coffee FestivalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial charity partner, bringing stories of sustainable coffee production to festival attendees.
• BarfootsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational farming business, supporter of Food for Good campaign and challenge events.
• Driscoll'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBerry producer partnering on sustainable agriculture initiatives.
• Farmer JminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestaurant chain supporting Farm Africa through fieldbowl sales.
• CARE (CASCADE programme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on CASCADE programme improving nutrition for women and children in eastern Uganda.
• Tree AidcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on clean cooking and reforestation in refugee and host communities in Rwanda and Uganda.
• ICRAF (World Agroforestry Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on reforestation and clean cooking programmes with UNHCR.
• UNHCRcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN Refugee Agency partnering on large-scale clean cooking and reforestation projects in Uganda and Rwanda.
• AcorncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on agroforestry project creating Carbon Removal Units (CRUs), returning 80% of revenue to farmers.
• University of EmbuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in Galileo Embu Living Lab for agroforestry research.
• ICIPEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, partner on agroforestry Living Lab.
• CIRADminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Agricultural Research Centre for International Development, partner on Galileo project.
• Stanbic Bank UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBanking partner on enhancing resilient food systems project in Eastern Uganda.
• Equator SeedsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeed company partner on food systems project in Uganda.
• Grain Council of UgandaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry body partner on food systems project.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SNV: Dutch development organisation working on agriculture, energy, and water in developing countries, with significant smallholder and value chain programmes in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda - a direct competitor for institutional programme funding.
• Solidaridad Network: International civil society organisation implementing sustainable agricultural commodity programmes in Africa and globally, with overlapping interests in coffee, agroforestry, and farmer livelihoods - directly comparable to Farm Africa's forest-friendly and value chain work.
• Heifer International: Global non-profit focused on ending hunger through livestock and sustainable agriculture with smallholder farmers in Africa and elsewhere. Overlaps directly with Farm Africa's livestock, goat rearing, and climate-smart agriculture programmes in eastern Africa.
• CARE International: Global confederation of humanitarian and development NGOs tackling poverty and food insecurity, with major smallholder agriculture and women's economic empowerment programmes in the same five eastern African countries where Farm Africa operates.
• TechnoServe: US-headquartered non-profit that works with smallholder farmers and agri-businesses across Africa (including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) on market-based solutions, value chain development, and food processing - a highly comparable operating model targeting the same farmer segments.
• Tree Aid: UK-registered charity working with smallholders and communities in Africa's drylands on tree management, agroforestry, and climate resilience. Direct co-implementation partner on Farm Africa's clean cooking and reforestation programmes in Uganda and Rwanda.
• Self Help Africa: Irish-registered international charity (formed via merger of Self Help Africa and Gorta) working with smallholder farmers across eastern and western Africa on sustainable agriculture, market access, and climate resilience. The closest peer in mission, target beneficiaries, funding model, and geographic footprint to Farm Africa.
• Concern Worldwide: Irish humanitarian and development organisation operating across eastern Africa with livelihoods, food security, and climate adaptation programmes aimed at the poorest smallholder communities - closely aligned mission and operating geography.
• One Acre Fund: Social enterprise providing smallholder farmers in Africa (notably Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda) with financing, training, and inputs. Strongly comparable to Farm Africa's Farm-to-Market Alliance programme and its work with village-based advisors and farmer service centres.

Broad incumbents

• Oxfam GB: Much larger UK-headquartered humanitarian and development confederation with livelihoods and food security work in eastern Africa. A broader incumbent that competes for the same institutional donors and individual giving pool as Farm Africa, though with a much wider portfolio spanning emergencies, gender, and governance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FarmAfrica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/farm-africa
• Instagraminstagram.com/farm_africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Farm Africa