Summary
Asili Agriculture is an integrated food security platform for East Africa. Asili delivers agricultural land management & marketplace solutions that empower farmers and food system stakeholders to sustainably increase profitability, resilience and nutrition.
Asili cultivates and manages agricultural land in the Northern and Western regions of Uganda for the production of aggregation of grains and oilseeds. The company develops and transfers climate-smart agriculture practices that increase yields, reduce food insecurity while creating employment opportunities for women and youth. Asili works with the International Finance Corporation to improve and deliver its model.
Asili’s key partners and off-takers are food manufactures, humanitarian organizations and protein producers across the region.
Investment Thesis
Although 60% of arable land in the world is in Africa, food insecurity and land utilization remain a challenge. Agriculture in Uganda is mainly rain fed and based on subsistence farming. Asili Agriculture’s model focuses on using modern and climate-change resilient agricultural methods to maximize the quantity and quality of output from farmland. Asili Agriculture is the largest producer aggregator of grains and oilseeds in Uganda.
Refugee Impact
Asili Agriculture borders numerous refugee settlements and the company is one of the largest employers in these host communities.
Asili’s network of trained village-level agents registers and maps farmers to provide access to climate-smart agriculture training, quality inputs, crop monitoring services and premium markets. Asili works with and supports more than 15,000 small-scale producers.
With Asili scaling up its operations through investment in agricultural equipment and grain storage & handling facilities, the company will generate refugee-inclusive employment and further train and support numerous farmers in the settlements as well as host communities.
Management
Asili Agriculture is managed by a diverse team of individuals with extensive experience in agribusiness development, agronomy, corporate development, and analysis, with the goal of introducing climate-smart agriculture practices to Uganda, contributing to the food security of the East African region.
- Benjamin Prinz – Co-Founder & Managing Partner
- Philipp Prinz – Co-Founder & Managing Partner
- Reuben Nyanzi – Farm Operations Manager
- Caroline Aoja – Finance Manager
- Peninah Nangobi – HR Manager
- Francisco Podesta – Technical Director, Agronomy
- Patrick Katungi – Producer Services Manager
- Keturah Bagenda – Community Relations Manager
- Federico Tonelli – Director of Development & Partnerships