In Kenya, where agriculture employs 70% of the rural workforce and contributes 22.4% to the GDP (KNBS, 2022), smallholder farmers face a persistent challenge: getting fair value for their produce.
Middlemen often take 80-90% of the retail price (FAO, 2020), leaving farmers with meager earnings, while post-harvest losses of 20-30% (KNBS, 2022) further erode their livelihoods.
Enter Mkulima Exchange, powered by Agrovia—a digital marketplace designed to empower farmers by connecting them directly to buyers, ensuring fast sales, fostering relationships, and helping them build sustainable brands and businesses.
The Problem: Middlemen and Market Access Barriers
For decades, Kenyan farmers have been trapped in a cycle of exploitation. After toiling to grow crops like tomatoes, maize, or avocados, they often sell at a loss to middlemen who dictate prices.
The lack of direct market access means unsold produce rots—20-30% of perishables are lost post-harvest (KNBS, 2022)—while buyers like hotels and households struggle with inconsistent supply (60% face supply issues, AGRA, 2021).
This disconnect not only hurts farmers’ incomes but also undermines food security and economic growth across Africa.
Mkulima Exchange: A Game-Changer for Farmers (Agrovia.co)
Mkulima Exchange, built on Agrovia’s platform, offers a transformative solution. Farmers can list their produce for free on a user-friendly digital marketplace, reaching buyers beyond local markets—whether it’s a Nairobi hotel needing 50kg of tomatoes or a household seeking fresh vegetables.
By eliminating middlemen, farmers retain up to 50% more profit (Agrovia data, 2025). For example, a farmer selling 50kg of tomatoes at KES 100/kg (KES 5,000 total) might earn only KES 500-1,000 through middlemen but can now earn KES 3,000-3,500 on Mkulima Exchange, thanks to transparent pricing and direct sales.
Fast Sales Post-Harvest: Reducing Losses
One of Mkulima Exchange’s standout features is its ability to facilitate fast sales right after harvest. With perishables at risk of spoilage, speed is critical.
The platform’s real-time listings and buyer search functionality ensure farmers can connect with buyers within hours, not days.
Since launching its prototype, Agrovia has onboarded 2 farmers who successfully listed their produce, and the platform has garnered 50K+ Twitter impressions and 133 signups, showing early demand for this solution.
By reducing post-harvest losses, Mkulima Exchange helps farmers preserve their hard-earned harvests and incomes.
Building Relationships and Maximizing Profits
Mkulima Exchange isn’t just about transactions—it’s about relationships. Farmers can communicate directly with buyers to verify quality, negotiate prices, and establish trust, fostering long-term partnerships.
A farmer in Kiambu, for instance, can build a steady relationship with a Nairobi hotel, ensuring consistent orders and predictable income.
Agrovia’s secure escrow payment system protects both parties, ensuring farmers get paid fairly and on time. By cutting out middlemen and providing price transparency—only 15% of Kenyan farmers have access to real-time market prices (World Bank, 2019)—farmers can maximize profits and reinvest in their farms.
From Farmer to Brand: Building a Business with Agrovia
Mkulima Exchange empowers farmers to go beyond selling—they can build a brand and a sustainable business.
Through Agrovia’s platform, farmers can showcase their produce, share their stories, and create a digital presence. A farmer in Nakuru can brand themselves as a reliable supplier of organic avocados, gaining loyalty from urban buyers.
Agrovia’s community-building features, like knowledge-sharing forums, help farmers learn best practices and grow their operations. With 5.6 million smallholder farmers in Kenya (Slide 4) and a KES 100 billion agritech market (Slide 4), the potential for farmers to scale into thriving businesses is immense.
The Vision: A Thriving Agricultural Ecosystem
Agrovia envisions Mkulima Exchange as the cornerstone of a thriving agricultural ecosystem in Kenya and beyond.
By 2030, the platform aims to empower 1 million farmers, facilitating 2 million transactions annually and generating KES 150 million in revenue (Slide 14).
This isn’t just about profit—it’s about sustainability, fair trade, and community.
As digital adoption grows (currently 20-30% among Kenyan farmers, KIPPRA, 2024), Mkulima Exchange is poised to lead the charge, transforming how farmers and buyers connect across Africa.
Conclusion: Join the Agricultural Revolution
Mkulima Exchange, powered by Agrovia, is more than a marketplace—it’s a movement to empower Kenyan farmers, reduce losses, and build sustainable agricultural businesses.
By connecting farmers directly to buyers, ensuring fast sales, fostering relationships, and enabling branding, Agrovia is paving the way for a fairer, more prosperous future.
For farmers tired of middlemen and buyers seeking reliable supply, Mkulima Exchange offers a simple promise:
From farm to fair market, for every farmer
