Millions of African farmers can’t reach their full potential because they lack access to infrastructure, finances and technology. UfarmX, founded by Alexander Zanders, confronts this problem by equipping African farmers with digital credit, financing options, and modern farming tools to boost yields and income.
Zander’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start in Africa. It began earlier when he launched an export company, an experience that fueled his interest in global trade, agriculture, and economic equity. That journey eventually led him to cryptocurrencies, but everything shifted when his daughter was born in 2015. It sparked a deeper search for purpose and meaningful change.
Traveling across Africa before the pandemic, he witnessed Africa’s untapped agricultural potential and began questioning what was holding farmers back.
“I started asking why Africa, with all this arable land and talent, was still exporting raw goods for pennies and importing finished goods at a premium,” Zanders said in an AfroTech interview. “The math didn’t make sense.”
When COVID-19 hit in 2020, Zanders sold off his cryptocurrency assets to buy 100 acres of farmland in Nigeria and began planting crops in Africa. However, he noticed an issue. Despite having identical soil to his neighbors, his crops yielded far more.
“The difference wasn’t skill, it was access,” Zanders said. “We had better seeds, better fertilizer, and the means to use them.”
Zanders experimented, providing credit access to 15 local farmers, resulting in triple the yield and double the revenue. This became the groundwork for UfarmX.
Traditionally, banks don’t lend to farmers because they lack credit history or collateral. UfarmX bridges this gap by building digital credit profiles using data and offering tools like “Buy Now, Pay Later” to help farmers access and afford quality seeds, fertilizers, and equipment.
“I did what most people tell founders not to do,” Zanders said. “I put my life savings into this. There were sleepless nights. Days I wanted to quit. But this mission means too much.”
Since 2020, UfarmX has helped over 1,000 Nigerian farmers and now operates in Senegal and Liberia, with plans to expand to the Ivory Coast and Kenya. Ninety percent of the 48 million sub-Saharan African farmers lack credit, and UfarmX’s mission is to close that gap.
From deploying solar power on farms to helping farmers prioritize necessities, Zanders envisions UfarmX not just as a platform, but a stepping stone to help Africa and its people elevate agriculture.
