Bayer and Khula announced a strengthened partnership designed to help more South African farmers unlock the tools, skills, finance and market connections needed to build sustainable, profitable farming businesses—creating opportunity across rural communities and strengthening the country’s food system.
The partnership was announced on 12 May 2026 at the Bayer exhibit at NAMPO Harvest Day in Bothaville—one of South Africa’s leading agricultural platforms—bringing together farmers, industry leaders and stakeholders shaping the future of agriculture.
Because this ecosystem investment addresses three national priorities at once; food security, market access, and funding access. Scaling bankable emerging farmers strengthens the entire agricultural sector.
“South Africa’s emerging farmers have the ambition and resilience to build thriving businesses. What’s often missing is a connected pathway—credible data, the right capability support, access to finance, and a clear route to market. This partnership brings those pieces together so that more farmers can participate confidently in the formal economy and grow sustainable livelihoods,” said Karidas Tshintsholo, CEO of Khula.
“At Bayer, we believe agriculture can be a powerful driver of inclusive growth—when innovation is matched with practical, on-the-ground support. By combining Bayer’s expertise with Khula’s digital platform and ecosystem partnerships, we are helping more farmers strengthen productivity, build resilience and access the opportunities that enable long-term success,” said Mildred Nadah Pita, Head of Public Affairs at Bayer in Africa.
“As South Africa continues to champion food security discussions on global platforms, including within the G20, we must advocate for solutions that are practical, equitable, and sustainable. Africa’s challenges must remain central to the global agenda. The continent possesses immense agricultural potential, but unlocking that potential requires investment, technology transfer, infrastructure development, climate resilience, and stronger regional cooperation.” said Luthando Kolwapi, Head of Resource Mobilization, Partnerships & Communications at FAO United Nations.
The Bayer × Khula Farmer Accelerator
The Bayer × Khula Farmer Accelerator is designed to address food security, market access, and funding access by strengthening funding readiness for emerging farmers. As an ecosystem investment—an investment in the support around farmers—Bayer has committed R7.5 million as ecosystem investor and launch partner, with Khula as implementing partner and host of the Farmer Accelerator, to prepare 50 emerging farmers over the next 12 months to access production finance in their own name and participate more fully in formal markets.
The accelerator is a capacity-building accelerator—not a grant, subsidy, sponsorship or input distribution initiative.
What the R7.5 million ecosystem investment funds (in services and systems):
Turning farmer potential into participation
Across South Africa, farmers are ready to grow—yet too many remain on the margins of formal agricultural value chains because critical enablers such as finance, inputs, compliance support and markets are not connected in a way that works for them. Bayer and Khula are aligning these building blocks so that ambition can translate into bankable, scalable farming businesses.
Through this partnership, Bayer and Khula will help bridge the gap by:
- Strengthening farmer readiness—not only product access
- Helping farmers build track records and credibility over time
- Connecting farmers to finance and structured markets through an integrated ecosystem
The focus is on emerging farmers—including women and youth—who are building enterprises in the face of barriers such as limited financial history, lack of collateral and inconsistent market access.
Building capability that lasts
Recognising that long-term progress in agriculture depends on more than inputs, the partnership invests in farmer capability—practical skills, stronger decision-making and better farm management—so that producers can plan confidently, improve productivity and grow sustainably.
Bayer’s contribution to farmer support includes:
- Practical, on-the-ground agronomic guidance
- Structured training and mentorship
- Ongoing support to strengthen decision-making and farm management
Together with Khula’s platform and ecosystem, this support extends to:
- Compliance readiness to meet market requirements
- Financial readiness to unlock funding opportunities
- Access to funded production and structured offtake markets
This marks a shift from once-off interventions to integrated, end-to-end support—helping farmers build viable businesses that can endure, adapt and expand over time.
Advancing climate resilience and productivity
As climate variability increasingly shapes when and how farmers can plan and plant, the partnership prioritises practical solutions that protect productivity and improve financial viability—season after season.
Through the partnership, Bayer supports climate-smart agriculture with a focus on:
- Resilient seed technologies
- Improved soil and crop management practices
- Efficient and responsible input use
The approach is designed to make sustainability practical and economically viable—helping farmers lift yields while strengthening resilience.
Enabling digital inclusion and data-driven farming
A key component of the partnership is integrating digital tools into the farmer journey—so that producers can capture credible farm data, make informed decisions and demonstrate performance to funders and markets.
Through the Khula platform and Bayer’s on-the-ground support, farmers can benefit from:
- Digital farm mapping and profiling
- Access to inputs via digital platforms
- Creation of farm-level data and records
In turn, these digital records help farmers:
- Build a financial track record
- Access funding opportunities
- Improve traceability and unlock market access
Connecting farmers to markets and stronger value chains
For many farmers, producing more does not always mean earning more—especially when reliable buyers, market visibility and compliance support are out of reach. The partnership aims to change that by opening pathways into formal markets.
Through ecosystem partnerships, Bayer and Khula are enabling:
- Linkages to structured markets
- Support to meet quality and compliance standards
- Participation in formal agricultural value chains
Greater market visibility helps farmers plan better, invest with confidence and scale sustainably.
Partnering for system-wide impact
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to work with industry, finance and government partners to unlock inclusive agricultural growth—so that more farmers can participate meaningfully in the economy.
By combining Bayer’s scientific expertise and on-the-ground capability with Khula’s digital platform and market ecosystem, the collaboration aims to:
- Unlock funding pipelines
- Scale impact across farming communities
- Reach underserved farmers at scale
Measuring progress that matters
The partnership’s success will be tracked through real improvements in the initial group of 50 farmers’ livelihoods, including:
- Increased productivity and yields
- Improved income stability
- Greater resilience to climate and market risks
- Access to finance and formal markets
Ultimately, the goal is to support farmers not only to enter the system, but to stay, grow and build sustainable livelihoods—contributing to resilient communities and a stronger agricultural sector for South Africa.
