CultivAid

What CultivAid does

CultivAid is an Israeli-headquartered, non-profit international development organization founded in 2016 that transfers Israeli agricultural technology and know-how to smallholder farming systems in East and Southern Africa. Its core product is the Agricultural Innovation and Technology Center (AITEC), a medium-scale working farm equipped with drip and sprinkler irrigation, polyethylene greenhouses, seedling nurseries, mango and avocado demonstration plots, vineyards, and meteorological stations, used as a living laboratory for Israeli-style R&D, extension services, and farmer training. Three AITEC sites are operational or under construction: Dodoma, Tanzania (2021, 6 acres); Embu, Kenya (2022, 4 acres); and Lusaka, Zambia (expected completion early 2026), with an Agadir Project extension into Morocco launched in 2023.

Built around the AITEC physical infrastructure is a portfolio of programs: the AgriTech Platform for three-phase validation and scaling of external ag-tech (AITEC validation -> model-farmer field trials -> value-chain integration), AITEC Attachment and AITEC Internship training cohorts, Expert Training Programs, the Agri Cluster / Agri Agent farmer extension network, value-chain-specific programs for grapes and spices, and an annual East Africa Food Energy Water (FEW) Conference. The "Market First Approach" anchors the methodology, beginning with buyer specifications rather than supply-push production. Strategic partners include Water4Mercy, Don Bosco Technical Institute, the Israeli Embassy in Kenya, Innovation Africa, the Global FEWture Alliance (University of Maryland, Hebrew University, Mbeya University of Science and Technology), the Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute, and TAHA.

CultivAid is funded primarily through grants, donations, and development-agency partnerships; it does not charge smallholder farmers for extension or training services. With ~35 employees across Israel HQ and three country offices, leadership comprises Dr. Tomer Malchi (Co-founder & CEO, Hebrew University PhD and Cornell-trained), Ben Cohen (Co-founder & CTO), and Yair Keinan (Co-founder & Consultant), supported by country directors, a Director of Finance, a Global HR & External Relations Officer, and field agronomists per site. No revenue figures, audited financials, or funding-round disclosures are available, and there are no identified AI/ML capabilities, patents, or proprietary software products.

Name

CultivAid

Legal name

CultivAid

Website

https://cultivaid.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CultivAid is an Israeli-headquartered nonprofit that builds and operates Agricultural Innovation and Technology Centers (AITECs) in Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, and Morocco, transferring Israeli agricultural technology and training to smallholder farmers, agricultural students, and value-chain partners in East and Southern Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Development Services

NAICS

Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro primary industry

Farm Technology Enablement & Data Integration Advisory (FMIS/ERP, IoT, Decision Support) (AFACAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Supply Chain, Marketing & Contracting Advisory (Grain/Livestock Marketing) (AFACAJAH), Capital Projects & Farm Expansion Advisory (Feasibility, Site Planning, ROI) (AFACAJAN)

Keywords

• Agricultural extension services
• Agricultural training programs
• Agricultural technology transfer
• Value chain development
• Capacity building programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Israel

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding & Development Aid: CultivAid operates as a nonprofit international development organization funded through grants, donations, and partnerships with development agencies. Revenue supports agricultural programs, training operations, and AITEC center establishment and maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CultivAid establishes and operates Agricultural Innovation and Technology Centers (AITECs) in developing countries, which serve as medium-scale demonstration farms, R&D hubs, and training facilities equipped with Israeli agricultural technologies (drip irrigation, greenhouses, nurseries, meteorological stations). Built around the AITECs, the organization runs farmer training, agronomist internship/attachment programs, value chain development initiatives (grape, spices), and an AgriTech Platform that validates and scales agricultural technologies with technology suppliers and agribusiness buyers.

Product overview

CultivAid offers a portfolio of interconnected agricultural development products and programs centered on the Agricultural Helix Framework. The core offering is the Agricultural Innovation and Technology Center (AITEC) model—medium-scale farms equipped with Israeli agricultural technology serving as living laboratories for research, demonstration, and training. Built around AITEC are the AgriTech Platform (for validating and scaling agricultural innovations), training programs (AITEC Attachment, AITEC Internship, Expert Training), and the Agri Cluster Program for farmer organization. Value-specific initiatives include the Grape Value Chain Program and Spice Value Chain Program. The Market First Approach underpins all activities, starting with buyer needs to drive agricultural production. The Agricultural Diplomacy Initiative extends this work regionally. The company also organizes the annual East Africa FEW Conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agricultural Innovation and Technology Center (AITEC) Medium-scale demonstration farms equipped with Israeli agricultural technologies (drip irrigation, greenhouses, seedling nurseries, meteorological stations, fruit tree orchards, vineyards) that serve as living laboratories for research, demonstration, and training. AITEC centers are regional launchpads for validating, adapting, and scaling agricultural innovations within real farming systems. Located in Dodoma (Tanzania, 2021), Embu (Kenya, 2022), and Lusaka (Zambia, expected 2026).
• AgriTech Platform A service offering for agricultural technology suppliers, startups, and companies that provides a structured three-phase path for technology validation: (1) Technology Validation at AITEC through controlled plot experiments, (2) Field Trials with Model Farmers across agri-clusters, and (3) Market Integration with value-chain partners for commercial uptake.
• AITEC Attachment Program An 8-12 week immersive practical study experience providing university students with in-depth exposure to modern agricultural practices and technologies at AITEC centers. Designed to fulfill academic attachment requirements and bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world farming.
• AITEC Internship Program A 6-month immersive program for recent university graduates providing field-based training in advanced agronomic innovations including precision irrigation, vegetable and fruit tree production, seedling propagation, and climate-smart technologies. Held at AITEC centers.
• Expert Training Program Specialized training programs introducing extension agents and agricultural experts to concepts and methodologies including irrigation, fertigation, pest control, soil management, and fruit tree cultivation. Designed to build local capacity for sustainable agricultural transformation.
• Agri Cluster Program A program leveraging farmer organization and economies of scale to enable supply chain connectivity, hands-on agricultural education, and extension services for smallholder farmers. Includes the Agri Agent model - trusted community members who coordinate inputs, technical support, training, and market access for farmers in their villages.
• Grape Value Chain Program Viticulture initiative modernizing and improving grape production and the value chain in Dodoma, Tanzania. Focuses on strengthening agricultural productivity, building sector knowledge, supporting transition from subsistence to commercial agriculture, and connecting farmers with winery market linkages. The program has supported grape production reaching 12,000 tons on 8,000 acres with annual wine production exceeding 3.5 million liters valued at $70 million.
• Spice Value Chain Program Tanzania Spice Agri-Helix program focused on building an agricultural-business-commercial platform for spices. Includes market analysis, business model development, production and post-harvest improvement, and quality initiatives.
• Agricultural Diplomacy Initiative Program sharing Israeli knowledge, technology, and expertise in agriculture, water, and environment through partnerships between stakeholders in Israel and Arab-Muslim countries. Establishes a network of AITECs for training, investments, and joint R&D programs, including the Agadir Project in Morocco.
• East Africa FEW Conference Annual conference addressing interconnected challenges of food security, sustainable energy, and water management in East Africa. Brings together policymakers, researchers, agribusinesses, and development agencies to foster collaborations, strengthen partnerships, and catalyze initiatives for long-term sustainability. Registration fee of $50-100 USD.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grape production in Dodoma reached 12,000 tons on 8,000 acres with annual wine production exceeding 3.5 million liters valued at $70 million
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Global FEWture AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership including University of Maryland, The Hebrew University, and Mbeya University of Science and Technology supporting the grape value chain program in Dodoma, Tanzania. Alliance focuses on food, energy, and water nexus research and implementation.
• Israeli Embassy in KenyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Government diplomatic mission that invited CultivAid to establish an AITEC center in Kenya. The partnership facilitates Israeli agricultural expertise and technology transfer to the Embu region through the Don Bosco Technical Institute.
• Water4MercycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Nonprofit organization providing sustainable solutions for water and agriculture in Africa. Collaborated with CultivAid to establish AITEC Don Bosco Dodoma at the Don Bosco Technical Institute, with CultivAid providing agricultural expertise and technology transfer while Water4Mercy supports water infrastructure and development programs.
• Don Bosco Technical InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Technical vocational institution in Dodoma, Tanzania hosting the AITEC farm as a working agricultural site for training, demonstration, applied learning, and knowledge transfer. Partnership enables students to access hands-on agricultural education with modern Israeli technologies.
• Innovation AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Development organization implementing clean water and solar energy projects in Tanzania. Collaboration supports AITEC Extension to Rural Villages program utilizing water infrastructure established by Innovation Africa to enable agricultural development in remote villages.
• Water 4 MercycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUSA-based nonprofit supporting water and agricultural development. Partnered with CultivAid for Agricultural Diplomacy initiative and Agadir Project in Morocco, promoting Israeli agricultural knowledge and technology through partnerships between Israel and Arab-Muslim countries.
• Agadir Horticultural ComplexmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading agricultural training and research institution in Morocco. Partnered with CultivAid and Water 4 Mercy to build a model of cooperation rooted in knowledge exchange, training, and applied innovation in the Souss-Massa region.
• Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment research institution represented at the FEW Conference. Dr. Thomas Nestory Bwana serves as Director General and contributed to conference programming on integrated FEW solutions for East Africa.
• TAHA (Tanzania Horticultural Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorticultural industry association representing processors, aggregators, and exporters. Philip Shimba serves as Regional Agronomist providing value chain development expertise at FEW Conference.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TechnoServe: International nonprofit that works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries — directly comparable to CultivAid's market-driven agricultural transformation model across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
• iDE (International Development Enterprises): Nonprofit that develops market-based solutions for rural smallholder farmers, including irrigation technologies and value-chain development — directly comparable to CultivAid's drip irrigation adoption and farm-to-market integration model.
• Heifer International: Global nonprofit working to end hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, with significant programs training smallholder farmers in Africa and partnering with local institutions — comparable in mission, training-led delivery, and partnership model.
• One Acre Fund: Nonprofit social enterprise financing smallholder farmers in East Africa with input access, training, and market linkages — directly comparable to CultivAid's Agri Cluster Program approach of bundling technology, training, and market access for smallholders.
• SNV Netherlands Development Organisation: Dutch development organization running agricultural value-chain programs across Africa and Asia with market-systems approaches — highly comparable to CultivAid's Agricultural Helix and Market First methodology.

Emerging players

• SunCulture: Kenya-based company selling solar-powered irrigation systems to smallholder farmers — an emerging player in the precise technology-adoption niche CultivAid's AITEC model aims to enable across East Africa.
• AgDevCo: Social impact investor specializing in African agribusiness SMEs with a focus on value-chain development and smallholder integration — comparable in market-first orientation and East Africa focus, but operating via investment rather than training delivery.

Broad incumbents

• ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas): CGIAR research center focused on agricultural research in dry-area developing countries — comparable research-and-extension mission with strong MENA and Africa presence, but at significantly larger scale and with mandate over crops relevant to CultivAid's program.
• GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit): German federal development agency running extensive agricultural transformation and capacity-building programs across Africa — a much larger incumbent doing adjacent work, including Israeli-African agricultural cooperation that overlaps with CultivAid's diplomacy positioning.

Others

• Root Capital: Nonprofit impact investor providing capital and training to small and growing agricultural businesses in Africa and Latin America — a thematically adjacent enabling organization that supports the value-chain end of CultivAid's market-integration work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cultivaid

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 CultivAid