Who

are we?

Lersha’ (ለእርሻ) is an Amharic equivalent to the phrase 'for agriculture’. It represents the desire to fulfill the agricultural needs of small holder farmers through innovation.

What

we do

Lersha provides a one-stop digital service to small holder farmers and enables them to access farm inputs, hire mechanization services, and request dynamic agro-climate advice using technology.

How

we do it

A one stop digital platform where farmers directly or through Lersha Agents access their farming needs using technology. The platform combines a mobile application, a call center and lersha agents to facilitate transactions with farmers.

3 years in making icon

years in the making

  1. Prior agribusiness Experience

    2010 - 2018

    The founder has entrepreneurial experience on many agricultural value chains extending from horticulture, farm input and mechanization service provision to contract farming

  2. Market platform study

    February, 2018

    A detailed marker platform study was conducted by engaging farmers, development agents, government officials, service providers and farm service centers to understand the fit of such digital platforms among the agricultural value chain

  3. Exposure visit

    March - Nov, 2018

    An exposure visits to Georgia, India, Nigeria, Kenya & Germany to learn and witness the impact of digital agriculture on smallholder farmer’s productivity & livelihood. The visit helped us to meet founders of various digital platform dialogue with users and the development team who built the platform

  4. Initial discussion with MoA

    November 2018

    The first meeting with the ministry of Agriculture (Ethiopia) to assess the policy & regulatory framework to develop & operationalize a digital platform. Since then, MoA continued to work with us as a partner.

  5. Team development

    March 2019

    It didn’t take us a long time to recruit young, innovative and agribusiness passionate team members given our presence in the market for more than 8 years. Our team consists of agripreneurs, software engineers, agronomist and marketing experts.

  6. Partner onboarding

    October, 2019

    “Lersha” commenced discussion with various partners as identified on the market platform development process. Green Innovation Center (GIC), International Wheat and Maize Research Center (CIMMYT), Inter Church Organization for Development Cooperation (ICCO) and Arsi University

  7. Early prototype

    February, 2020

    The development and operation team successfully designed the early prototype of the platform. This early vision served as a demonstration tool allowing users to experience the platform & generate feedback

  8. Lersha agent recruitment & Training

    June, 2020

    A recruitment of Lersha Agent, a university graduate in agricultural fields but unemployed, to serve as a bridge between the platform and the small holder narrowing a technology and literacy gap. They are recruited from at a smallest village level (Kebele) and assigned to the same area

  9. Pre-Pilot & Pilot in Arsi & West Arsi Zones

    September - November, 2020

    10 Farm Service Centers (FSC) and 32 mechanization service providers are onboard to take part in Lersha Digital Agriculture Platform. More than 11,600 smallholder farmers are registered and use at least one service from the platform.

  10. Scale up to other Geographical area

    Mar, 2021

    Scale up targets to introduce Lersha Platform into East Gojjam and Bale Zone areas.

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Our Services

Farm Input

Farm Input & Mechanization

Lersha's agricultural marketplace empowers farmers to effortlessly purchase inputs and mechanization services. Utilizing the expertise of digitally-enabled youth known as "Lersha Agents," farmers benefit from informed decisions backed by credible advice. Through the convenience of a mobile app, these agents ensure seamless service delivery, eliminating transportation costs for smallholder farmers while enhancing their overall experience.

Facilitating Aggregation

Lersha is revolutionizing agriculture through aggregation strategies for inputs, mechanization, and livestock. By aggregating inputs, farmers access resources at competitive rates, boosted by real-time data. Lersha's mechanization and livestock approaches optimize operations and market access, driving rural economic development and sustainability

Mechanization
Message

Agro-Climate Advisory & Crop Extension

Lersha aims to solve inadequate advisory services leading to poor agronomic practices and slow reaction towards changes. The advisory content is provided or verified by the Ministry of Agriculture. Through our Lersha Agents, every farmer can get this advisory access on time and on point.

Access to Finance

Lersha is reshaping finance for smallholder farmers through personalized credit scoring and input loans, tailored to individual needs. This integration of financial solutions with insurance ensures investment security, bolstering resilience in agriculture and promoting financial inclusion.

Farm Input

Are you a
Service Provider?

Do you have any agricultural machinery and want to work with smallholder farmers as a service provider? Please call 7860 and registered in the Lersha system. With Lersha, you can improve your revenue and reach more farmers who profoundly need your service

Learn More

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Our Partners

Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture logo ATI Logo IFC Logo GSMA Logo Agrifin Logo cimmyt CIAT Logo ILRI Logo AICCRA Logo GIZ German Cooperation Logo GIC Logo GFA Logo CBE Logo Telebirr Logo Dashen BankMA Logo Arsi University Logo Jigjiga Logo BDU Logo Wolkite Logo Hawassa Logo

Contact Us