Quality Inputs CHALLENGE; Uganda
PROVEN INTERVENTION TO BE DISTRIBUTED
Quality Agricultural Inputs
Learn more about the Quality Inputs Challenge and why an evidence-based model that distributes high-quality seeds could reliably boost the standard of living for smallholder farmers.
DISTRIBUTION MODEL INNOVATION
Lotssy connects Ugandan smallholder farmers with quality knowledge, agro-inputs, and markets.
Lotssy Uganda is a social enterprise that is redefining how smallholder farmers access the lifeblood of agriculture: quality inputs, timely advice, and affordable financing. Its community-powered model makes farming more productive, resilient, and inclusive. Lotssy Uganda operates through a decentralized distribution model that connects smallholder farmers in the Mt. Elgon region of Uganda with certified quality agro-inputs, training, markets, and affordable financing.
At the core of its approach are trained community-based farmer agents, who serve as microentrepreneurs, ensuring last-mile delivery. Each community-based farmer supports, on average, 30 smallholder farmers per season during the pilot, facilitating the bulk ordering of inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and crop protective inputs.
Lotssy Uganda’s model emphasizes last-mile delivery, ensuring farmers receive products and training tailored to their specific needs. They collaborate and leverage Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLAs) to provide affordable financing options, allowing farmers to access inputs. Additionally, Lotssy prioritizes education on good agronomic practices and climate resilience strategies, empowering farmers to enhance their productivity sustainably.
Lotssy Uganda’s team is built on a strong foundation of trust and collaboration, stemming from their first meeting at the Rootical Bootcamp in 2023, focused on regenerative agriculture. From that moment, they recognized a shared commitment to addressing the urgent issue of access to quality agricultural inputs for smallholder farmers.
Innocent’s entrepreneurial spirit and community engagement skills drive their outreach efforts, while Brian’s expertise in agricultural finance ensures that they can mitigate risks for farmers. Together, they built Lotssy Uganda with a focus on connecting local input producers to the farmers who need their services the most. They see the gap in the market where many effective local producers struggle to reach their audience.
PILOT AND SCALING GOALS
100 smallholder farmers successfully reached and served by the community-based agents in 3 months.
300 interventions (seeds, fertilizers, and crop protection inputs) successfully distributed among the 100 farmers in the first 3 months.
$20,000 in additional funding for the business fundraised.
FOUNDING TEAM
Brian Kiprotich - Chief Operations Officer
Innocent Ociti - Chief Executive Officer