Agritech has attracted considerable attention from investors, donors and governments because of its promise to reach millions of smallholders with information, inputs, finance and markets. Yet many ventures falter for financial reasons rather than technological ones: customer acquisition costs exceed lifetime value, collections lag behind input deliveries, grant funding masks weak unit economics, or the books cannot answer an investor's due diligence questions.

The Financial Management for Digital Agritech for Smallholders Training Course addresses these problems directly. Participants begin by mapping revenue streams and cost drivers across common agritech models, then build unit economics and break-even analysis suited to low-income, seasonal customers. The programme continues with budgeting, cash flow planning, pricing and commission design, management of working capital and farmer credit, accounting for mobile money and agent float, and reporting to funders. Later sessions cover fundraising readiness, financial controls and scenario planning for climate and price shocks.

Teaching relies on spreadsheet models, short ventures cases and group clinics where participants test assumptions against realistic data. Each person finishes with a working financial model for their own or a case venture and a clear plan for strengthening financial management.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Map the revenue streams, costs and risks of common digital agriculture business models.
• Calculate unit economics, customer acquisition cost and lifetime value for smallholder users.
• Prepare budgets and seasonal cash flow forecasts that reflect harvest and planting cycles.
• Set pricing, commissions and subscription levels that cover costs and remain affordable to farmers.
• Manage working capital, input credit and repayment risk across farmer and agent networks.
• Maintain sound accounting and controls for mobile money, agent float and grant funds.
• Produce management accounts and funder reports that meet investor and donor expectations.
• Assess funding options and prepare financial information for due diligence.

The course is designed for people who run or fund digital services for smallholder farmers, including:

• Founders and chief executives of agritech start-ups
• Chief finance officers and finance managers in agribusiness platforms
• Business development and operations managers of digital advisory and marketplace services
• Programme managers at incubators, accelerators and innovation hubs
• Development finance and impact investment officers
• Cooperative, farmer organisation and aggregator managers adopting digital tools
• Mobile network operator and fintech partnership managers working in agriculture
• Grant and project accountants in agricultural digitalisation programmes

Participants leave the course with:

• A working spreadsheet model of unit economics and break-even for a smallholder-facing service.
• A seasonal cash flow forecast with stress tests for late payments and price falls.
• A pricing and commission worksheet they can adapt to their product.
• A finance controls checklist for mobile payments, agents and grant funds.
• A funder-ready management report template and key metrics dashboard.
• A prioritised plan for improving financial management in their venture.

The course treats financial management as a working skill, so sessions are built around models and decisions. Participants experience:

• Hands-on spreadsheet labs using realistic smallholder and platform data
• Short venture cases drawn from advisory, aggregation and input platforms
• Group clinics where each participant tests their own assumptions
• Mock investor and donor review sessions with feedback
• Templates and checklists for use in the workplace after the programme

Each participant who attends every session and completes the modelling exercises is issued a CPD-accredited Certificate of Completion by Vision Reach Global Consultancy.