What We Do

We Are not for profit NGO working towards a Food Secure Africa

Our Approach

AGMARK approach is informed by experiences and lessons learned in East Africa and other COMESA countries in designing and implementing agricultural MSMEs and smallholder farmer development programs. The underlying principle is to commercialise production of food security crops through the three cardinal pillars, namely:

a) the market pull factor,
b) value chain competitiveness and
c) business opportunity viability.

The market pull factor for agricultural inputs and outputs

The viability of agricultural MSMSEs is dependent on the upstream market demand for outputs from the value chains in which they are engaged.  Such market demand is a function of household food needs, industrial requirements for milling, processing, trading and export opportunities. AGMARK facilitates upstream and downstream market “ecosystems” to create functional, self-sustaining business linkages and relationships.

Competitive value chains

Input and output value chains are competitive organs when all players along the chain operate optimally and efficiently to generate profit and avail the final product to the consumer at a price lower than the closest substitute. A key factor to competitiveness is the productivity realized at the various nodes along the value chain, from the producer to the value chain drivers.  AGMARK seeks to optimize on enterprise specialization that maximizes on benefits of economies of scale.  The basic principle is that each enterprise (producers, Agrodealers, traders, Agricultural input supply companies and Large Output buyers and grain traders) optimizes on specialization and economies of scale in order to enhance competitiveness.

Business opportunity viability

AGMARK promotes economic engagements that engender viable agricultural MSME businesses that are supportive to smallholder farming businesses. A significant lesson that AGMARK incorporates in designing interventions is that business propositions to producers and MSMEs within the value chains must be viable and profitable for long term sustainability and growth. This implies that choices and decisions taken must be driven by business viability considerations.   Such considerations may include interventions for demand creation, strengthening MSMEs capacities, matching investments and business mentorships.