Kenya is set to make history. The Ministries of Agriculture and Information, in partnership with the World Bank Group, the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility, Kuza Technologies, Dalberg, and the United Nations, are creating Africa’s first agritech innovation incubator. The incubator will scale up agritech innovations by connecting over one million Kenyan farmers to a digital platform – for market access, production information, and financial services.
While global leaders gathered in Nairobi to discuss the future of food systems, thousands of Kenyans followed the news through mobile apps – including the 888starz bet app – to understand how this initiative would transform agriculture and create new opportunities for farmers across the country.
Why Kenya Needs This Incubator
Kenya’s food production will need to grow by 75 per cent by 2030 to keep up with rising demand from a rapidly growing population, the effects of climate change, and increasing urbanisation.The country’s agricultural value chains and food systems urgently require disruption to meet these challenges.
Agritech presents an exciting opportunity for Kenya to leapfrog the agricultural transformation needed to feed its people and power its economy. According to McKinsey research, Kenya accounts for nearly 25 per cent of all agritech start-ups in Africa and has a vibrant agriculture sector that is ripe to capitalise on digital technologies and innovations.
From precision agriculture and internet-of-things to drones, crop and soil sensing, and fintech solutions, agritech innovations are already transforming how farming is done. Digital platforms link even the smallest agricultural businesses to buyers, allowing better prices and increasing farmer incomes by about 50 per cent on average.
What the Agritech Incubator Will Do
Over the next three years, the World Bank Group, working with national, regional, and international partners, will establish the agritech incubator in Kenya. Here’s what the initiative aims to achieve:
|
Initiative Component |
Target / Impact |
|
Digital platform |
Connect over 1 million Kenyan farmers to a digitally enabled platform |
|
Market access |
Provide farmers with direct access to buyers, improving prices and incomes |
|
Production information |
Deliver weather forecasts, input prices, and agronomic advice |
|
Financial services |
Enable access to credit, savings, insurance, and payments |
|
Incubation & support |
Support 150 agribusiness and agri-tech ventures |
|
Private capital mobilisation |
Unlock an estimated $16.5 million in private capital |
|
Incubators & accelerators |
Strengthen or establish 25 incubators and accelerators across the country |
|
Challenge funds |
Provide funding to high-potential AgTech enterprises |
|
Farmer reach |
Target farmers across 14 different agricultural value chains and 45 counties |
The incubator will focus on scaling up disruptive digital technologies in Kenya’s agricultural sector. Industry experts will engage agritech innovators and policymakers on feasible and scalable digital solutions, exploring areas such as market price information, mechanisation enabled by the internet-of-things, remote sensing, drones, machine learning, blockchain, and agricultural intelligence.
Kenya Already Leads in Agritech Innovation
Kenya’s position as Africa’s agritech powerhouse is already well established. The country is home to 25 per cent of agritech start-ups in sub-Saharan Africa, and the figure could rise further thanks to the presence of a robust innovation ecosystem.
In 2024, AgTechs in Kenya received around **$947 million in investment**, accounting for 58% of total AgTech funding in Africa. Kenyan startups attracted $984 million in funding in 2025, representing close to a third of all startup capital raised across Africa that year, marking the second consecutive year Kenya led the continent.
As Parmesh Shah, World Bank Global Lead for Rural Livelihoods and Agricultural Jobs, put it: “Digital innovation is creating unprecedented opportunities for Africa to grow its economy. Through the One Million Farmer Initiative, the World Bank Group and its partners will harness the power of innovation in Kenya to vastly improve food security and farmer incomes.”
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How the Incubator Will Change Farmers’ Lives
For Kenya’s smallholder farmers, the new agritech incubator opens concrete opportunities:
- Better prices. Digital platforms connect farmers directly to buyers, increasing incomes by up to 50 per cent.
- Access to information. Farmers will receive weather forecasts, input prices, and agronomic advice directly on their phones.
- Financial inclusion. The platform will provide access to credit, savings, insurance, and payment services.
- Reduced post-harvest losses. Better market linkages mean less waste and higher profits.
- Climate resilience. Access to climate-smart technologies and early warning systems helps farmers adapt to changing weather patterns.
- Youth employment. The incubator will create opportunities for young agripreneurs to build innovative businesses.
- Support for women. Programmes like the Women in Technology Incubator are specifically targeting female-founded agritech ventures.
Challenges and Opportunities Ahead
While the incubator represents a historic opportunity, several challenges must be addressed:
- Connectivity gaps. Reaching farmers in remote areas with limited internet access remains a hurdle.
- Digital literacy. Farmers need training to effectively use digital platforms and services.
- Financing. Early-stage agritech start-ups still face significant funding constraints.
- Regulatory barriers. Streamlining policies and incentives is needed to attract investment.
However, the opportunities far outweigh the challenges. As Hamadi Boga, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, said: “Our farmers should have access to disruptive technologies required to boost access to information on weather as well as price of inputs like seeds and fertilisers. These technologies are at the heart of government efforts to transform small-holder farming through access to credit and markets.”
Simeon Kacou Ehui, Director of Agriculture Global Practice at the World Bank, added: “We at the World Bank plan to promote large scale deployment of innovations, provide mentoring, coaching and business development services to boost agricultural productivity in Kenya and across Africa.”
What’s Next
The agritech incubator is part of a broader $46 million World Bank programme scaling climate-smart agricultural innovation across Africa. The programme will support 150 agribusiness and agri-tech ventures, establish or strengthen 25 incubators and accelerators, and mobilise an estimated $16.5 million in private capital.
Kenya is also part of the One Million Farmer Initiative – a three-year partnership that will link 1 million Kenyan farmers across 14 different agricultural value chains and 45 counties to a digitally enabled platform. The country is also leveraging its cooperative and SACCO ecosystem, which controls over a trillion shillings ($7.7 billion) in assets – one of the largest pools of locally mobilised capital in the country.
The government has already awarded 100 million Kenya shillings (about $1 million) to 14 agritech start-ups that provide solutions to tackle bottlenecks hampering productivity at the smallholder level.
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Conclusion
The establishment of Africa’s first agritech incubator in Kenya is a transformative moment for the country’s agricultural sector. Through a partnership between the Ministries of Agriculture and Information, the World Bank Group, and other international partners, the incubator will connect over one million Kenyan farmers to a digital platform, unlocking access to markets, information, and financial services.
Kenya already accounts for nearly 25 per cent of all agritech start-ups in Africa, and this initiative will only accelerate the country’s position as the continent’s agritech powerhouse. For smallholder farmers, the benefits are clear: better prices, access to credit, climate-resilient technologies, and new opportunities for youth and women in agribusiness.
As Parmesh Shah said, digital innovation is creating unprecedented opportunities for Africa. Kenya is seizing those opportunities – and the rest of the continent is watching.
FAQ
1. What is the agritech incubator and where will it be located?
Africa’s first agritech innovation incubator will be located in Kenya. It is being established by the Ministries of Agriculture and Information in partnership with the World Bank Group, the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility, Kuza Technologies, Dalberg, and the United Nations.
2. How many farmers will the incubator connect?
The incubator will connect over one million Kenyan farmers to a digital platform for market access, production information, and financial services.
3. What is Kenya’s current position in agritech?
Kenya accounts for nearly 25 per cent of all agritech start-ups in Africa and received around $947 million in AgTech investment in 2024, accounting for 58% of total AgTech funding in Africa.
4. What types of technologies will the incubator support?
The incubator will support precision agriculture, internet-of-things, drones, crop and soil sensing, weed sensing, disease sensing, fintech solutions, machine learning, blockchain, and agricultural intelligence.
5. How will this benefit smallholder farmers?
Farmers will gain better market access and prices (incomes up by ~50%), access to weather and input information, financial services including credit and insurance, and climate-resilient technologies.
6. What is the One Million Farmer Initiative?
A three-year partnership that will link 1 million Kenyan farmers across 14 different agricultural value chains and 45 counties to a digitally enabled platform.
7. How much funding is being mobilised?
The programme will mobilise an estimated $16.5 million in private capital and support 150 agribusiness and agri-tech ventures, strengthening or establishing 25 incubators and accelerators.
8. What role does the World Bank play?
The World Bank Group is leading the initiative, providing capital, expertise, mentoring, coaching, and business development services to boost agricultural productivity in Kenya and across Africa.
