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Access to Finance - Farming as a Business

Across Sub-Saharan Africa, many farmers and agri-entrepreneurs are motivated to scale their businesses and adopt climate-smart technologies, but lack financing options tailored to their investment size, cashflow patterns and growth phase. 

Loan products are often poorly matched to farmers' seasonal cash flow as lenders see agriculture as high risk due to limited data on farm performance, and pre and post investment technical assistance is frequently missing.

We operate as a technical partner and exclusive supplier of sustainable horticultural and irrigation technologies across our operating countries, and position ourself as a technical de - risking partner that links finance directly to proven technology and ongoing agronomic support, helping farmers build viable businesses while giving financiers greater confidence to deploy capital. 

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What We Do;

  • Support farmers to access financial resources tailored to their investment size, from smallholder to large-scale commercial operations.
  • Help farmers develop farming as a viable, profitable business by assessing their business case and cashflow before structuring finance.
  • Finance clients' purchases of our technology (irrigation systems, greenhouses) with guaranteed delivery, quality assurance and ongoing technical support.
  • Conduct feasibility studies and structuring investment packages matched to farmers' repayment capacity and seasonal cashflow.
  • Provide pre and post investment technical and agronomic assistance to reduce the risk of underperformance and default.
  • Work with development finance institutions, grant makers and impact investors to blend grants and finance, so capital reaches farmers at different scales.
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Our Approach: From Skills to Economic Impact;

We structure our approach around three farmer segments that form a graduated investment pathway: 

  1. Smallholder farmers making entry-level investments in basic irrigation, seeds and training.
  2. Medium-scale farmers scaling proven operations through greenhouses, solar irrigation and fertigation.
  3. Large-scale farms and cooperatives investing in capital-intensive, high-efficiency systems. 

Across all three segments, access to finance is delivered together with our own technology and agronomic support, so farmers never receive capital without the technical backing to use it well.

  • Technical expertise — Matching technology to local climate and market dynamics.
  • Agronomic support — on-farm support helping farmers adapt to a changing climate.
  • Understanding farmers' business & finance — matching investment and technology to farmers' business case and cashflow.
  • Technology de-risking — using technology backed by design, supply and installation from experienced technicians
  • Market and value chain approach — linking producers to profitable and sustainable markets.
  • Farmer insights & data — using a data platform to build financier confidence.

Impact Areas Aligned


Job Creation

  • 4,221 market-oriented vegetable producers trained at HGT demonstration plots — 42% women, 61% youth (AID-I, Tanzania).
  • 3 youth groups trained on nursery business, producing 50,000 seedlings by end of the project (AID-I, Tanzania).
  • Large-scale farm and cooperative financing is designed to anchor value chains and create stable jobs.

Improved Incomes

  • Every investment is structured around a farmer's business case, aiming for more consistent income across seasons alongside higher yields.

Green Growth

  • Financing for large-scale farms includes efficient irrigation, renewable energy and water management, designed to reduce resource use while increasing productivity.

 Our Added Value

Our added value lies in combining proven horticultural and irrigation technology with deep field presence and long-term farmer relationships across our operating countries.

Because financing is tied to our own products and services, clients receive guaranteed delivery, quality assurance and ongoing technical support. We therefore are able to draw existing customer purchase history to understand a farmer's business case before structuring an investment. 

This hands-on engagement is intended to reduce the risk of default for financiers, and we positions ourself as complementary to, rather than competing with, financial institutions, thus helping them deploy capital more effectively rather than replacing them.

Project Case

Southern Africa Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative (AID-I) — Rapid Delivery Hub

Holland Greentech Tanzania | May 2024 to July 2025

Organization

Implementation partners: CIMMYT, World Vegetable Center, Rikolto, Holland Greentech.

Project Details

AID-I is part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government's global food security and hunger initiative led by USAID, taking rapid action to cushion the impact of high fuel and fertilizer prices on farmers. 

It connects farmers to tools and information needed to manage high input costs and supply disruptions. 

Strategic topic: Entrepreneurship & Job Creation.

Financials & Management

Donor: USAID / Feed the Future. 

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Objectives & Impact

  • Establishment of Rural Knowledge Hubs close to HGT retailer locations.
  • Establishment of demo plots at customer locations.
  • Training women and youth on grafting and nursery business.
  • Training government extension officers on improved horticulture.
  • Construction of greenhouses for seedling production among youth and women's groups.
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Achievements & Expansion

  • 4,221 market-oriented vegetable producers trained at HGT demo plots; 42% women and 61% youth.
  • 3 youth groups trained on nursery business, with greenhouses constructed.
  • 50,000 seedlings produced by youth groups by the end of the project.