What Tanager does

Tanager is a US-incorporated international nonprofit development organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., founded in 1993 as Agribusiness Systems International (ASI) and rebranded to Tanager in 2018. It operates as an affiliate within the AV Group family of organizations alongside ACDI/VOCA, AV Ventures, and Frontiers, implementing donor-funded programs across more than 60 countries in Africa, South Asia, and Latin America over a 30-plus-year history. Its functional focus is on co-creating economic and social opportunities, primarily through agricultural development, market systems strengthening, gender integration, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, and smallholder farmer support.

The organization's portfolio consists of multi-year grant-funded programs rather than commercial software products. Flagship programs include IGNITE and IGNITE+ (gender and nutrition technical assistance for African agricultural institutions, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation at $11M for the 2024–2029 phase), Shubh Mint (a sustainable mint sourcing partnership with Mars Wrigley serving 24,000+ farmers in India), SELEVER 2 (a Gates-funded poultry sector program in Burkina Faso targeting 120,000 participants), Imbewu (a John Deere Foundation-funded smallholder maize farmer program in South Africa's Eastern Cape), CarrOpps (a Dutch-funded youth economic opportunity program in Burkina Faso), and PSFPO in India. Tanager also publishes interactive knowledge products, including the IGNITE Nutrition-Sensitive Intervention Selection (NSIS) Tool, the IGNITE Diagnostic Tool, and the WEAI Training Tool, alongside a documented Lab-to-Land methodology for testing agricultural innovations with farmers. Delivery relies on five country offices (USA, Burkina Faso, Kenya, India, South Africa) and a consortium of strategic implementation partners including Laterite, 60 Decibels, AGRA, Digital Green, IFPRI, and the World Food Programme.

Tanager operates as a nonprofit funded by foundations, governments, and institutional donors rather than commercial customers; it does not publicly disclose revenue, does not sell products or services at a price, and has no traditional ownership structure. Documented scale metrics include 200+ projects, 3.9 million individuals reached through food security programming, $439 million in private-sector investment incentivized, and outcomes such as 156% income increases for mint farmers in India and 69% higher yields for Imbewu participants in South Africa.

Name

Tanager

Legal name

Tanager

Website

https://tanagerintl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tanager is a US-based international nonprofit development organization (founded 1993) operating in 60+ countries across Africa and Asia, implementing grant-funded agricultural, gender, and nutrition programs for smallholder farmers, African institutions, and corporate supply chains as part of the AV Group family.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Development Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Agriculture, Food Security & Nutrition Technical Assistance (BPADAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA), Plant Tissue, Soil & Water Sampling Coordination (Agronomy-Focused) (AFACABAH), Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

• Agricultural development services
• Smallholder farmer support
• Gender integration consulting
• Nutrition-sensitive agriculture
• Market systems development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Tanager implements multi-year, grant-funded agricultural and economic development programs for smallholder farmers, African agricultural institutions, and multinational corporations. Its portfolio covers gender and nutrition technical assistance (IGNITE/IGNITE+), sustainable sourcing partnerships (Shubh Mint with Mars Wrigley), smallholder market systems (SELEVER 2, Imbewu, PSFPO), and youth economic opportunity programs (CarrOpps, CLE), supported by proprietary interactive planning tools.

Product overview

Tanager is a global development organization (an affiliate of ACDI/VOCA and the AV Group family) that offers a portfolio of agricultural and economic development programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include: IGNITE/IGNITE+ (gender and nutrition technical assistance for African agricultural institutions), SELEVER 2 (poultry market development in Burkina Faso), Shubh Mint (sustainable mint farming in India with Mars Wrigley), Imbewu (smallholder farmer development in South Africa with John Deere Foundation), PSFPO (farmer producer organization support in India), and youth economic opportunity programs like Carrefour des Opportunités and CLE in Burkina Faso. Tanager also offers interactive tools including the IGNITE NSIS Tool for nutrition-sensitive agriculture planning. These programs operate across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, focusing on smallholder farmers, women's economic empowerment, and sustainable agricultural supply chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IGNITE (Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture) A six-year technical assistance program (2018-2024) implemented by Tanager in partnership with Laterite and 60 Decibels to strengthen African agricultural institutions' capacity to integrate nutrition and gender into their operations and programs. Active across Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Tanzania.
• IGNITE+ (Impacting Gender & Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture Plus) A transformative five-year investment mechanism (2024-2029) extending IGNITE to accelerate women's economic empowerment and household nutrition through technical assistance to African agricultural institutions in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania. Supported by a $11 million Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant.
• Shubh Mint Project A partnership program with Mars Wrigley Confectionery (2017-2026) to increase mint oil production and double incomes for smallholder farmers in Uttar Pradesh, India. Uses a lab-to-land approach to test agricultural innovations and promote regenerative agricultural techniques for sustainable mint cultivation integrated into Mars' European chewing gum supply chain.
• SELEVER 2 (Soutenir l'Exploitation Famaliales pour Lancer l'Elevage des Volailles et Valoriser l'Economie Rurale) A Gates Foundation-funded program (2020-2026) designed to improve the nutritional status of women and children in rural Burkina Faso by strengthening women's economic empowerment through increased poultry production. Expected to reach 120,000 participants.
• Imbewu Farmer Development Project Initial phase (2022-2024) of the partnership with John Deere Foundation in South Africa's Eastern Cape province to enhance agricultural productivity, facilitate access to commercial markets, and improve incomes for smallholder maize farmers through aggregation, storage, and entrepreneurial ecosystem support.
• Imbewu Farmer Development Phase 2 Second phase (2024-2028) of the partnership with John Deere Foundation to transition smallholder maize farmers in South Africa's Eastern Cape from subsistence to self-sufficient production. Uses digital extension, demonstration plots, and improved access to finance and markets, with a target of 37% yield increase and 68% gross income increase across 6,576 farmers.
• Carrefour des Opportunités (CarrOpps) A five-year project (2023-2028) in Burkina Faso funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands that leverages digital technologies and in-person hubs to improve youth engagement, offer employment readiness training, provide entrepreneurship incubation, expand access to financial services, and offer health and nutrition coaching for youth aged 18-35.
• CLE (Cultivons l'Esprit d'entreprise) An entrepreneurial training program in Burkina Faso that educated youth on entrepreneurialism, provided skills training, and supported business incubation for young entrepreneurs.
• STEP (SusTainable, Inclusive and Equitable Procurement in Home Grown School Feeding Programmes) An action-research initiative (2025-2027) funded by IDRC, led by AATF in collaboration with Tanager and Tegemeo Institute, to promote healthy and sustainable diets in schools through scalable and inclusive procurement systems for school feeding programs in Kenya.
• PSFPO (Promotion & Stabilization of Farmer Producer Organizations) A three-year project (2020-2023) in Odisha, India implemented with Palladium to increase the profitability and sustainability of Farmer Producer Organizations through government collaboration, capacity building, and market linkages.
• IGNITE NSIS Tool (Nutrition-Sensitive Intervention Selection) An interactive decision-support tool that walks agriculture practitioners through the design of appropriate nutrition-sensitive interventions, helping organizations identify practical entry points for integrating nutrition into their agricultural programs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 156% increase in mint farmer incomes in India
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and key.

• Mars Wrigley ConfectioneryflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2017Partnership since 2014 (Shubh Mint launched November 2017) to support smallholder mint farmers in India. Tanager implements the Shubh Mint program to increase mint oil production and double farmer incomes. Mars integrates sustainably sourced menthol into European chewing gum supply chain for UK and Poland factories. Program has engaged over 24,000 farmers who have more than doubled their incomes.
• LateritekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the IGNITE project (2018-2024) and IGNITE+ (2024-2029) to strengthen African institutions' ability to integrate nutrition and gender into their operations. Laterite brings research and data expertise to the partnership.
• 60 DecibelskeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the IGNITE project providing lean data and impact measurement services. Helps assess and track gender and nutrition outcomes across partner institutions.
• Ikore International Development LimitedkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Tanager to convene stakeholders across Africa for virtual webinar on nutrition-sensitive agriculture. Ikore brings expertise in nutrition and agricultural development programming.
• LandesakeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted joint webinar with Tanager in June 2026 exploring secure women's land rights as a pathway to agricultural transformation and better nutrition outcomes. Landesa shared practical approaches from Kenya and Tanzania.
• AGRAkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partner in agricultural development initiatives across Africa. Collaboration on various projects including IGNITE and IGNITE+.
• Digital GreenkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on IGNITE project, contributing expertise in digital extension approaches and video-based agricultural training methodologies.
• World Food ProgrammekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on various food security and agricultural development initiatives. Collaboration on market systems approaches and food security programming.
• IFPRIkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational Food Policy Research Institute - partner providing research and policy expertise in agricultural development.
• UNDPkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnited Nations Development Programme - partner on development initiatives across various countries.
• African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on IGNITE project and STEP School Feeding project in Kenya. Collaboration on agricultural technology and smallholder farmer support.
• Fair and Sustainable (F&S)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerImplementing partner on IGNITE+ in Ethiopia, supporting agricultural institutions to deliver nutrition-sensitive, gender-integrated programs.
• Sasakawa Africa AssociationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerIGNITE partner working on agricultural extension and nutrition-sensitive programming in Ethiopia.
• PalladiumkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on PSFPO project in Odisha, India to improve market access for farmers through Farmer Producer Organizations.
• Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and DevelopmentkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner on STEP School Feeding project in Kenya, providing agricultural policy expertise.

Scale indicators23 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ACDI/VOCA: Parent affiliate within the AV Group family; a much larger international development NGO implementing agricultural value chain, market systems, and cooperative development programs globally. Highly comparable to Tanager but with broader geographic and programmatic scale.
• CARE International: Major international development NGO working on food security, women's economic empowerment, and agriculture across more than 100 countries. Comparable gender-integrated agriculture programming and donor relationships.
• Mercy Corps: Large international humanitarian and development NGO operating across food security, agriculture, and youth economic opportunity globally. Competes with Tanager for similar donor pools while operating a much broader portfolio.
• Catholic Relief Services: Large US-based international NGO implementing agriculture, nutrition, and livelihoods programs globally. Competes for similar USAID and foundation funding and operates in overlapping geographies.

Emerging players

• Landesa: Active Tanager partner and a peer organization focused on secure land rights as a foundation for agricultural productivity and women's empowerment in developing countries. Comparable gender and agriculture integration approach.
• Digital Green: IGNITE project partner and peer organization that uses video-based digital extension to support smallholder farmers globally. Comparable technology-enabled agriculture extension model with overlap in target geographies.

Direct peers

• One Acre Fund: Direct peer providing smallholder farmer services (inputs, finance, training, market access) across East and Southern Africa. Comparable target beneficiary profile and integrated service-delivery model.
• TechnoServe: Direct peer in market-based agricultural development, working with smallholder farmers and agribusinesses across Africa, Latin America, and South Asia. Both organizations deploy value-chain and market-systems approaches to lift farmer incomes.
• Heifer International: International nonprofit focused on ending hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture and livestock value chains for smallholder farmers. Highly comparable mission and geographic footprint, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
• AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa): Long-standing Tanager partner and a comparable African-focused agricultural development organization driving productivity, policy, and market access for smallholder farmers. Overlapping donor base and programmatic priorities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TanagerIntl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkJmD0OAxeYWkYXYBN5ulEA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TanagerIntl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tanager-intl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

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 Tanager