Episode 58: Interview with Anushka Ratnayake, Founder and Executive Director of myAgro
MyAgro is an award-winning social business which allows farmers in West Africa to buy fertilizer and seed by a series of small payments via a mobile phone platform and a network of local village vendors
Myagro’s helps farmers move out of poverty and has led a doubling of farm income. It has grown almost five fold the last year, and aims to grow to 75,000 farmers over the next five years.
Anushka was an early employee at both One Acre Fund, where she served as the Director of Innovation and Core Programs, and Kiva.org, where she created the Kiva Fellows Program.
In this interview, Anushka discusses:
- The vital role small holders play in developing countries
- The power of the layaway model
- The MyAgro business model
- How MyAgro works with “champion farmers” to spread the word about their services
- How MyAgro helps farmers double their income