How do private sector partnerships truly serve rural farmers in remote areas in Rwanda?
Farm to Market Alliance (FtMA) works through private-public partnerships to deliver impact and increased access for smallholder farmers
Sustainability in both operations and market access remains a strong focus in FtMA’s work. By strengthening market linkages through 89 private-public partnerships, FtMA is ensuring that SHFs can access essential services, market to support opportunities, and financial products that support long-term agricultural growth. The private sector is playing an increasingly important role, gradually taking over operations to create a sustainable strategy for FtMA as part of its commercialisation model.
1. Partnerships enable increased access to more sustainable self-service
For example, cooperatives previously linked to buyers through FtMA have continued to negotiate and fulfil supply contracts independently, demonstrating strong market retention and reduced reliance on direct facilitation. Additionally, individual-led FSCs driven by profit incentives are now operating in rural areas and consistently providing services to farmers without FtMA’s ongoing support, showcasing early signs of a self-sustaining system.
2. Partnerships enable increased access to technology
For example, FtMA is supporting the promotion of improved Post-Harvest Management (PHM) solutions. As part of this initiative, five FtMA cooperatives were identified as recipients of mechanised PHM technologies such as shellers and dryers. These interventions aim to accelerate the adoption of modern PHM practices, reduce PHL, improve crop quality, and make critical steps toward building a more commercialised, efficient, and climate-resilient agricultural sector.
3. Partnerships enable access to markets and buyers
Strategic partnerships with institutional buyers such as Africa Improved Foods (AIF) and EA-AGRO helped expand structured trade. FtMA strengthened six market linkages across all agro-ecological zones, enabling farmers to access profitable markets and achieve better returns for their produce. Notably, cooperatives previously linked by FtMA are increasingly managing direct transactions with buyers, showing strong signs of sustainability. Thus strengthening the aggregation and selling of crops. A total of 89 partners and aggregation models, enabling direct connections with buyers and minimising reliance on intermediaries.
4. Partnerships enable access to wider skills and financial access
Through WFP, the SheCan initiative targets the empowerment of 13,024 farmers—67% of whom are women—by equipping them with financial literacy, digital skills, and access to credit. These efforts align with FtMA’s broader strategy to increase women’s involvement in agriculture, which is essential for ensuring the sector’s long-term sustainability. In support of savings groups, 1,881 farmers (51% women) accessed microloans averaging USD 833, with 16% accessing formal credit for the first time with full repayment, while 30 cooperatives secured funding to support 7,200 farmers. The group-based lending model demonstrated zero defaults, reinforcing the viability of community-based finance. A scale-up is planned in 2025 to reach 50 additional cooperatives, with continued focus on women’s empowerment through expanded financial education, digital inclusion, and access to microcredits—contributing to more inclusive and resilient rural economies.
Through the FtMA programme, access to markets for SHFs was significantly expanded through key areas such as buyers, technology, and wider markets.
Learn more about FtMA through our website linked here. Have a question? Send us a message to us on our contact page, and make sure to follow us on LinkedIn for all our updates.
