Key Takeaways
- Leaders participating in World Agri-Tech Dubai highlight the importance of integrating inputs, markets, and finance through “last-mile” platforms.
- Digital inclusion, satellite-based credit scoring, and AI advisory tools are reshaping smallholder finance across Africa and the Middle East.
- Mastercard, FMO, Catalyst Fund, and CGIAR share models demonstrating measurable improvements in yields, income, and climate resilience.
- Early-stage innovators are combining fintech, insurance, and agronomy to deliver scalable and affordable financing pathways.
- Speakers emphasize that smallholder finance must be inclusive, ecosystem-driven, and co-designed with farmers to achieve long-term impact.
World Agri-Tech Dubai To Highlight Digital Inclusion as a Cornerstone of Smallholder Finance
Smallholder farmers, who produce up to one-third of the world’s food supply, remain among the most underfinanced actors in agriculture. Ahead of the World Agri-Tech Dubai summit, leaders from Mastercard, FMO Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank, Catalyst Fund, and CGIAR outlined how digital solutions are beginning to close this gap across Africa and the Middle East.
World Agri-Tech Dubai To Showcase Mastercard’s Value Chain Digitization for Market Access
Marie-Rose Mukahirwa, Senior Vice President at Mastercard, emphasized that digital inclusion is central to agricultural transformation. Through the Community Pass platform, Mastercard is digitizing agricultural value chains end-to-end, enabling secure offline transactions, digital payments, and verified transaction histories in regions with limited connectivity.
Farmers in Uganda using Community Pass have reported higher yields, better access to quality inputs, and price increases of up to 30% through more transparent digital marketplaces. Mukahirwa noted that these improvements strengthen farmers’ ability to withstand climate shocks and market volatility.
