Apollo Agriculture
Agriculture, Forestry, And FishingAbout
Apollo Agriculture is an agri-fintech company founded in 2016 that empowers small-scale farmers in Kenya and Zambia to transition from subsistence to commercial farming by providing access to credit, high-quality seeds and inputs, crop insurance, and expert agronomic training. It leverages machine learning, remote sensing, and mobile technology, to tailor financial and technical support to individual farmers, enabling them to increase yields, improve profitability, and build resilience to climate change.
Impact
Apollo Agriculture has significantly improved the lives of smallholder farmers in Kenya and Zambia by increasing their productivity and income. Farmers using Apollo’s services have reported doubling or even tripling their yields, with average production 2.6 times higher than other Kenyan farmers. Over 84% of customers say their quality of life has improved, enabling them to better support their families and invest in their farms. The company partners with a network of over 1,000 agrodealers and field agents to ensure local delivery and support, with a mission to foster sustainable livelihoods and food security for millions of smallholder farmer, By providing access to credit, quality inputs, insurance, and digital advice, Apollo has reached more than 350,000 farmers, many of whom previously lacked access to financial services.
Responsible AI practices
Apollo Agriculture combines automated, data-driven decision-making with manual validation to ensure fairness, transparency, and accuracy in its services. The company collects diverse data: including farm size, crop type, and satellite imagery, through field officers and verifies this information before it is processed by AI models to assess creditworthiness, minimising bias and ensuring high-quality data is used. The system is designed to include farmers who lack formal credit histories, using alternative data sources and risk-based pricing to offer fairer loan terms and expand financial inclusion. It also uses AI to deliver tailored agronomic advice and financial literacy training, and employs machine learning to detect and prevent fraud, ensuring that farmers receive the support they need. There are also efforts to align loan repayment schedules with harvest cycles, ensuring that the technology adapts to farmers’ contexts.