Hafsah Jumare is improving smallholder farmers’ access to the agricultural market.
Hafsah Jumare, a Nigerian entrepreneur and behavioural economist, is working to reshape agricultural market systems across parts of Africa. As the founder and CEO of CoAmana, an agtech startup launched in 2018, she focuses on improving market access, financial inclusion, and access to quality inputs for smallholder farmers and traders.
From academia to entrepreneurship
Jumare’s background is rooted in academia, where she spent nearly a decade studying agricultural economic behaviours. She holds a Bachelor’s degree, an Honours degree, and a Master’s in Economics from the University of Cape Town. Her research explored how smallholder farmers engage with credit systems, adopt new technologies, and adapt to climate-related changes, uncovering the complex realities that often don’t align with conventional economic models.
Over time, the founder recognised that academic insights alone were insufficient to address systemic issues in rural agricultural markets. Motivated to put her research into practice, she transitioned from theory to entrepreneurship, aiming to create tools suited to the behavioural and economic conditions of low-income, low-literacy farming communities.
Building CoAmana
CoAmana was developed to address these challenges. Its flagship tool, Amana Market, is a digital platform designed to operate within traditional agricultural market structures. Rather than replacing existing systems, the platform supports them by providing services such as real-time market pricing, access to credit, distribution of agricultural inputs, and information on climate-smart farming practices.
The startup operates in Nigeria and Kenya, including areas near the Niger border, and relies on a local agent network to support farmers and traders who may face technological or literacy barriers.
“We set out to build a solution knowing fully well that a startup is a risk. We also target the lower-income people who hardly can pay. So, another thing that makes us unique is that we have a creative business model that enables us to offer our services to small businesses for free.”~Jumare told Daily Trust
One of CoAmana’s community initiatives, the Amana Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Day in Abuja, aims to build direct connections between consumers and farmers. Events like this are intended to foster transparency in pricing and encourage support for local agricultural systems. In some cases, produce is sold at prices reported to be between 2% and 40% lower than prevailing market rates.
Measuring impact
According to the company, CoAmana has worked with over 21,000 farmers, helping improve access to drought-resistant seeds, fertilisers, and financial services. Surveys indicate that 91% of users have gained better access to farming inputs, while 86% report income and crop yield improvements.
The platform has also supported the distribution of agricultural inputs and facilitated the mobilisation of more than $750,000 in investment capital for farming communities. One notable funding source includes a $500,000 investment from Village Capital’s Reducing Inequalities Investment Facility, which backs solutions promoting rural economic development and financial inclusion.
Through CoAmana, Hafsah Jumare continues to explore ways to bridge the gap between informal agricultural markets and digital infrastructure. Her efforts attempt to address structural inefficiencies in agricultural value chains and support small-scale farmers in adapting to economic and environmental changes.
