About the Seed & Scale Fund
Supporting farmers to turn their harvests into sustainable enterprises and access the markets and finance they need.
The Seed & Scale Fund helps communities in rural Africa move beyond subsistence farming, build financial independence, and create lasting livelihoods.
Investing in this fund is a five-year commitment to 2030, helping Ripple Effect strengthen proven approaches, test new ideas, and share successful strategies with more farmers.
Financial challenges for smallholder farmers in rural Africa
Many farmers in rural Africa struggle to access affordable financial products. In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 42% of adults lack a financial account, and rural farmers are among the most excluded, with as few as 14% having access to formal financial services.
Without access to finance, smallholders can’t invest in their farms, grow their businesses, or cope with shocks like price changes or crop failures.
The Seed & Scale Fund helps remove these barriers, supporting farmers trained in regenerative farming and enterprise development to scale up and build financial security, while strengthening local economies.
What this fund supports
The Seed & Scale Fund helps smallholder farmers grow their farms, strengthen livelihoods, and access the markets and finance they need. It supports farmers to:
- Use savings and finance strategically through Savings with a Productive Purpose training
- Diversify income with multiple crops and activities to build resilience
- Access markets and resources, including cooperatives, milk collection points, crop storage, processors, and retailers
- Experiment and innovate through initiatives like the Agroecology Hub and tailored financial products
- Build knowledge and capacity that can be shared within communities and across generations
The fund also helps us continue scaling proven approaches while testing new ideas to support financially secure, thriving families and vibrant local economies.
Expected outcomes
By end 2030, at least 65% of the people we work with will be:
- Earning more than $2.15 per day – above the global poverty line
- Saving $0.50 per day – creating a financial buffer against shocks
- Running four or more income-generating activities – building greater resilience
Support this fund
Your contribution to the Seed & Scale Fund will help rural families in Africa overcome barriers to growth, build financial security, and strengthen their communities.
The Seed & Scale Fund is one of three – you may also be interested in learning more about our Farming for the Future Fund (climate-resilient agriculture) and our Equal Roots Fund (gender and social inclusion).
Interested in joining our Seed & Scale giving circle? Supporters giving £5,000 or more to the fund become a member and receive exclusive benefits. To find out more, contact the Partnerships team at partnerships@rippleeffect.org or fill the form below.
FAQ: Seed & Scale Fund
The Seed & Scale Fund is a 5-year initiative to help smallholder farmers in rural East Africa - particularly women and young people - move beyond subsistence farming and build sustainable agri-businesses. The fund runs between 2026 to 2030, with a goal of raising £1 million in total.
Smallholder farmers across East Africa, with a particular focus on women and young people who face the greatest barriers to accessing capital, business skills, and fair markets. These are farmers who are already productive and ambitious - what they lack is opportunity.
The Fund has four main areas of focus:
- Enterprise skills, savings and financial inclusion: expanding Self-Help Groups, business training, financial literacy, and Village Loans and Savings Groups
- Market-led enterprise and cooperative growth: connecting farmers to formal markets, strengthening cooperatives, and supporting value-added products
- Innovation and youth-led entrepreneurship: piloting new enterprise models, training hubs, mentoring, and start-up support
- Learning and scalable models: investing in evidence and shared learning so that what works can be replicated across regions
By 2030, the Fund aims to ensure that at least 65% of participants are earning above the global poverty line (more than $2.15 per person per day), saving at least $0.50 per person per day, and engaged in four or more income-generating activities. Beyond the numbers, success means families being able to pay school fees, access healthcare, and build businesses that employ others in their communities.
Ripple Effect has already demonstrated that helping families farm more sustainably leads to greater stability. But stability alone is not enough. A single failed harvest or unexpected bill can undo years of progress. Enterprise is the next step, giving farmers the tools to generate reliable income, build resilience, and drive long-term change in their own communities.
Alongside this work, Ripple Effect continues to support sustainable farming, climate resilience, gender inclusion, and other core programmes through wider organisational work and funding streams.
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