Safaricom rolled out a cash advance program through its DigiFarm platform that lets tea farmers grab money before factory payments drop. The setup pairs with Access Bank and local tea operations to front smallholders some cash based on what they already delivered, with automatic payback when the official payout hits their accounts. No collateral needed since repayment gets pulled straight from M-PESA once the factory money comes through.
Around a million farmers grow tea across Kenya and support over six million people through the crop, but payment delays keep leaving growers broke between harvests. The pilot ran through four Rift Valley factories, and DigiFarm wants to push this thing nationwide while eventually expanding into dairy farming. CEO Peter Ndegwa said the cash advance feature helps farmers cover basics like school fees and groceries instead of waiting around for delayed factory checks.
Around a million farmers grow tea across Kenya and support over six million people through the crop, but payment delays keep leaving growers broke between harvests. The pilot ran through four Rift Valley factories, and DigiFarm wants to push this thing nationwide while eventually expanding into dairy farming. CEO Peter Ndegwa said the cash advance feature helps farmers cover basics like school fees and groceries instead of waiting around for delayed factory checks.
