Inclusive Markets and Agri-business Development

SAA promotes inclusive markets and agri-business development by supporting smallholder farmers to transition from subsistence production to profitable, market-oriented agribusiness. Through market-driven approaches, equipping producers with the knowledge, skills and market information needed to make informed production decisions, improve product quality, and respond to changing market opportunities, shifting mindsets toward a “grow-to-sell” commercial approach. Scaling proven approaches such as JICA’s Smallholder Horticulture Empowerment and Promotion (SHEP) model, SAA enhances agricultural value chains by improving access to quality inputs, post-harvest technologies —such as mechanized threshing and milling—to accelerate bulk market aggregation, meet commercial buyer standards, and maximize profit margins for smallholders. Through targeted value-chain interventions, SAA strengthens cooperative governance and agri-SME competitiveness via entrepreneurship and collective marketing training. It accelerates financial inclusion and market linkages by brokering strategic partnerships with input dealers, output brokers, and microfinance institutions. Ultimately, by integrating digital market platforms, it drives supply-chain traceability and removes structural barriers for women and youth to unlock sustainable rural growth. SAA also promotes stronger partnerships among farmers, input suppliers, financial institutions, processors, traders, and other market actors to create more inclusive and competitive agribusiness ecosystems. Through digital market platforms and targeted support for women and youth, SAA expands economic opportunities, improves market transparency, and contributes to sustainable rural livelihoods and economic growth.

A woman farmer holding her high yielding bean seed ready for sell, Uganda