Specialist agricultural investor AgDevCo has announced a $9.5 million mezzanine loan investment in Agventure, a Kenyan farmer-owned business pioneering regenerative agriculture in non-irrigated cereal-based systems.
The partnership aims to enhance sustainable farming practices and increase local food production in Kenya.
Founded in 2010, Agventure focuses on helping Kenyan farmers adopt sustainable and regenerative agricultural methods.
The organization unites farmers, researchers, educators, and entrepreneurs to promote practices that improve soil health and enhance food security.
Currently, Agventure supplies over 45,000 tonnes of food crops annually to the local market, including wheat, barley, maize, canola, sunflower, and legumes such as green peas, chickpeas, and fava beans.
Through its Centre of Excellence, Agventure trains more than 700 small and medium-sized farmers across Kenya.
The program emphasizes crop rotation, particularly the integration of canola, to improve soil health.
To support these farmers, Agventure guarantees the purchase of their canola harvest, which is processed and sold under the Pure Mountain brand in Kenya.
The $9.5 million investment from AgDevCo will allow Agventure to scale up its canola oil production and purchase more produce from its network of outgrower farmers.
Additionally, the funds will help establish Agventure Seed, a platform that provides high-quality certified seeds to Kenyan farmers.
Rebecca Sankar, AgDevCo’s managing director for East Africa, emphasized the significance of the investment:
“We are excited to be supporting Agventure in its journey to add more value to commodity crops, increasing the availability of high-quality, locally produced food for the domestic market and reducing reliance on imports.”
Agventure CEO Don White expressed optimism about the partnership, stating:
“Agventure is looking forward to working with AgDevCo to expand and strengthen our business, enabling more farmers to adopt regenerative agriculture solutions.”
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