Focus
CRAFs strategy targets transformative opportunities across the agri-food value chain, supporting scalable innovations that solve real pain points, unlock financial inclusion, and enhance climate resilience. The fund focuses on five high-impact verticals: Digital Farmer Services, Precision Agriculture, Agro-processing, Biotechnology and Supply Chain Innovations.
Digital Farmer Services
Access to affordable, timely, and relevant services finance, insurance, technical advisory, and market access represents a foundational barrier for millions of African smallholders. Digital platforms and data-driven tools that leverage data to provide access to credit, assess creditworthiness, provide crop-specific advice, streamline input distribution and connect producers to markets, stand to formalise the role of millions of smallholder farmers in the economy.
Precision Agriculture
As global markets demand verifiable sustainability and ethical sourcing, Precision Ag tools offer a critical compliance bridge between African producers and international buyers. These technologies enable precise, verifiable tracking of farm inputs and outputs to enable farmers to farm better, as well as meet ESG and climate requirements.
Supply Chain Innovations
Post-harvest losses in Africa can reach up to 40% representing tens of billions of USD per year, largely due to inadequate storage, logistics, and market infrastructure. Startups addressing cold chain logistics, traceability, aggregation, and digital marketplaces are key to unlocking value midstream.
Agro-processing
Africa exports the majority of its produce as raw commodities, capturing minimal economic value and then having to import the produced value-added products. Investing in local processing—through food preservation, packaging, and transformation—enables retention of value within local economies, reduction of imports and extends shelf life to reduce spoilage.
Biotechnology
Africa’s agriculture must adapt rapidly to climate volatility, degraded soils, and pests. Biotech innovations offer science-based solutions that boost productivity, protect biodiversity, provide alternative and sustainable feed, and reduce dependence on imported, harmful, synthetic inputs. This includes drought-tolerant seed varieties, alternative proteins, biofertilizers, microbial soil enhancers, and pest-resistant crops—all tailored for African agro-ecologies.