Digital agriculture in LMICs - 18 Jul #94
Pula backs Ethiopia agri insurance push; Bayan-Mayani push gets HSBC funding; India’s Gramik raises $2M; Tomorrow.io launches new weather (storm) model
06/07/25
Insurtech Pula leads charge for new agri insurance consortium in Ethiopia
Pula Advisors, a Kenya-based insurtech company that focuses on smallholder agriculture, has become the technical lead of the new Agricultural Insurance Consortium (AICE) in Ethiopia, an initiative that brings together five local insurance companies: Nyala Insurance, Africa Insurance, Ethiopian Insurance Corporation, Nile Insurance, and Oromia Insurance. The consortium aims to collaborate with government agencies, donors, and development partners to extend index‑based crop insurance coverage to 3 million smallholder farmers by 2026.
AICE’s insurance model is embedded within Ethiopia’s agricultural Input Voucher System (IVS), enabling lower premiums through a combination of government subsidies and risk pooling. This structure has made agricultural insurance more accessible, currently reaching over 10 million farmers in more than 200 woredas (districts) at a subsidised rate of around 200 birr ($3.50) per farmer.
Photo credit: Pula Advisors
Technology plays a central role in the consortium’s strategy. With support from Pula, AICE uses digital tools like Mavuno, an AI-driven survey tool to collect farmer data, and the Pula Insurance Engine (PIE), which facilitates smart product design and streamlined policy administration. These innovations allow AICE to offer tailored, data-informed insurance services that better meet the needs of smallholders.
Founded in 2014, Pula has developed data-driven agriculture insurance products protecting farmers from climate risks like droughts and floods, supporting financial stability and food security. Its approach includes bundling agricultural inputs with insurance and agronomic advisory services to cover risks forsmallholder farmers.
11/07/25
HSBC funds Bayan-Mayani climate-smart agri push
Development sector group Bayan Family of Foundations (BFF) in partnership with agritech Mayani, a digital B2B marketplace linking farmers and fisherfolk with buyers, has secured funding from bank HSBC Philippines to expand climate‑smart agriculture services.
BFF and Mayani will support 30 smallholder-led cooperatives in adopting climate-smart and sustainable agriculture practices including digital agriculture tools such as precision agriculture. The initiative will roll out in major food-producing regions across Luzon and Visayas during this year, with plans to extend into the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 2026.
Photo credit: iGrow News
Established in 2019, Mayami claims to have a network of 144,000 farmers and fisherfolks. It aims to expand its footprint to 500,000 within two years. Its B2C customers include hotels and restaurants, food processors, and supermarket chains. Mayani started with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). In April last year, it raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Ninja Ventures, the VC arm of leading Indian agritech Ninjacart.
11/07/25
Gramik raises $2M bridge round to boost rural commerce in India
Gramik, a market linkage platform for inputs formerly known as AgriJunction, has secured INR 170 million (~$2 million) in a bridge funding round ahead of a larger Series A round. Participants in the bridge round included Sammaan Global Ventures, Money Creeper Investment, and a number of angel investors. Founded in 2021, Gramik has a peer commerce model that connects farmers with village-level entrepreneurs (VLEs) and rural retailers facilitating last-mile delivery of farm inputs as well as agronomic advisory and embedded credit. Gramik operates across 12 districts with over 1,200 VLEs and 250 retail partners. With the funding the company plans to scale into Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Jammu, aiming to grow its VLE network to 3,000 and reach one million farmers by next year.
Photo credit: Mint
15/07/25
Tomorrow.io’s latest storm forecasting model has potential for digital agriculture
Weather intelligence and climate adaptation company Tomorrow.io has launched a new global weather model that uses AI and satellite data to offer storm-scale forecasts with significantly reduced latency. The model dubbed FOCUS updates every 15 minutes and overcomes traditional forecast models that update only a few times per day. The model has potential for improved agricultural planning and for digital agriculture solutions. Agritech companies can leverage FOCUS data to support more precise decisions around irrigation, fertilisation, and harvest timing especially in regions vulnerable to sudden weather changes. FOCUS also integrates machine learning for nowcasting, which could further enhance short-term decision-making on farms.
In Africa, Tomorrow.io has a partnership with MTN Group to provide early warnings and critical weather information to 300+ million people. In Nigeria, the company is working with MTN to provide a Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) solution offering location-specific, actionable weather advisories to farmers on mobile phones.
In other news:
04/07/25
ASA International and Turaco launch affordable digital loan and Insurance in Africa
Microfinance institution ASA International and tech-enabled microinsurance underwriter Turaco have launched a new insurance product dubbed Enhanced Credit Life. The product targets low-income entrepreneurs including smallholder farmers. It is an affordable insurance solution bundled with ASA’s loans, offering protection against credit, life, and health risks with premiums starting at US$0.30 per month. It has been launched in Kenya and Uganda with plans to expand across ASA International’s other six African markets.
The insurance product leverages a mobile-first system that enables claims to be processed and paid within 72 hours. Turaco’s platform manages the entire process from client onboarding to claims settlement through seamless API integration with ASA International’s existing loan systems. Clients can initiate claims via mobile channels, benefiting from minimal paperwork and rapid turnaround times.
Founded in 2019, Turaco is an insurance distributor, broker and customer interface between the underwriter and the end customer. It operates under a B2B and B2B2C model via partnerships with a variety of tech-enabled African companies, such as One Acre Fund and asset financing company M-KOPA. Recently, Turaco partnered with Kenya-based SunCulture, an agritech company that provides solar-powered irrigation systems to smallholders, to provide affordable life and health microinsurance to smallholder farmers.