TAF Documents
TAF Documents
INPUTS PLATFORM
The right combination of quality seed, organic or inorganic fertiliser, crop protection products and adequate water can transform yields. However, yields alone do not drive commercial farming success. The ‘optimal’ inputs package will depend on the farmer’s economic, environmental, and social context. The AAF TAF experience with downstream distribution of…
EXTENSION PLATFORM
Knowledge transfer is a critical lever to increase a farmer’s return on investment from his/her land. Agronomic advice is important to understand and trial new inputs and farming practices as well as ensure optimal marketing of surplus crop. The AAF TAF experience with private extension models highlights key success factors for increasing the effectiveness and sustainability of extension services, including the need…
Five Year Report
This report has been written to share TAF’s progress over its first five years, capturing lessons for the benefit of development practitioners, investors and inclusive businesses. TAF’s operational modalities and key relationships with the AAF Fund Managers are first outlined, followed by details of its project categories,drawing on examples from detailed company-based case studies, which are presented at the end of the report. Next, the impact of the TAF portfolio to date is summarised in terms of measurable results, and its indirect influences are also discussed.
FINANCE PLATFORM
The ability of farmers to access working capital to pay for critical inputs and mechanisation services is a binding constraint to commercialising small-scale agriculture. In AAF TAF’s experience, AAF portfolio companies were not always willing or able to provide credit. Similar to financiers, although there was an acknowledged shared value opportunity, high risk and high costs in linking to…
MECHANISATION PLATFORM
A major constraint to productivity for smallholder farmers across Sub Sahara is access to draft power resulting in reduced yields, lower production scale, lower cultivated area and high drudgery. Typical demand side barriers to smallholder mechanisation include high capital costs and interest rates, unreliable aftersales services and limited market access. On the supply side…
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM
The opportunity for technology to enhance decision-making, increase efficiency and achieve inclusive business growth was identified in companies across the AAF TAF portfolio. In particular digital data solutions to monitoring and information management were increasingly explored through TAF, either indirectly or directly, to achieve both once off data collection needs as well…
SME PLATFORM
The African Agriculture Fund’s (AAF) Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) had an allocation for SME capacity building from its inception in 2011. This included an Agriculture Value Chain (AVC) component to enhance development impact in the respective value chains around the AAF investments which worked to strengthen linkages…
BOP PLATFORM
Constituting roughly 4 billion people on an income of $1.5k per year, the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ (BoP) segment has significant purchasing power and represents commercial potential for small, growing businesses to diversify their channel mix and distribute quality products to the last mile. The AAF TAF implemented 6 projects across 4 portfolio companies…