Breaking the yoke of Poverty through Research and Innovation
We envision millions of smallholder farmers receiving improved agronomic knowledge & appropriate technologies through innovative business models at scale.
Applied Research
The first step toward innovation is researching the problems, causes, and complex dynamics involved in smallholder farms. This includes background research, user testing, concept testing of potential solutions, and finally rigorous field evaluation of innovations. Research is done through fellowships, funded pilots, and through existing partner activities.
Venture Building
Innovations incubated during our research and piloting activities that show promise to achieve impact while operating on a sustainable business model are then advanced to the venture building stage. Seed investment is sought from external partners, investors, or others who see the potential and are willing to put their capital to work to see it materialize.
Co-Development
As potential solutions emerge during the research phase of our activities, the next step is to develop these concepts into workable pilots in field contexts. This is done in partnership, with our most important partners being the farmers themselves who contribute feedback and co-develop these concepts into solutions.
SFIL aims to catalyze innovation for small farmers.
Join the Innovation Pilot Network
Our flagship effort is to bring together world-leading research institutes, NGOs, and Companies through the Innovation Pilot Network - a global digital database for connecting and accelerating innovation across farming contexts of the Global South.
The platform is free to join and will be kept as a publicly available networking tool.
We’re looking for:
Pilot Hosts: Universities, NGOs, Cooperatives, Ministries of Agriculture
Innovators: Companies or others with innovative agtech, business models, or services for smallholders
The next stage will be to develop boots-on-the-ground innovation pilot sites that enable practical testing, co-development and scaling of solutions.
What we do
Reach farmers through Partnerships
Pilot Innovations in the Field
Conduct rigorous research
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Download our Executive Summary