Rooted in Tradition, Powered by Tech: One Acre Fund’s Digital Transformation

A hundred years ago, farming in Africa was guided by tradition, seasons, and stories passed down through generations. But today, that deep ancestral knowledge is being challenged by forces far beyond a farmer’s control: erratic weather, shifting growing seasons, and changing economic conditions.

Technology isn’t replacing that wisdom—it’s becoming essential to complement, protect, and scale it.

One Acre Fund is a social enterprise that serves over 5 million smallholder farmers across sub-Saharan Africa. The organization provides access to quality farming supplies, training, and financing that support farmers in improving their harvests, building resilience, and boosting their livelihoods.

To deepen and extend this impact, One Acre Fund has partnered with Twilio.org to leverage technology. This partnership supports the development of digital tools that complement farmers’ traditional knowledge, deliver timely farming information to reach more farmers quickly, and open up new opportunities for convenience and sustainable growth.

Laying the Groundwork: A new era of tech-enabled farming

The technology evolution is something Caroline Fong, part of One Acre’s Technology Strategy & Partnerships team, is deeply invested in—both professionally and personally.

“I’ve admired One Acre Fund for over a decade,” Caroline shared. “Having lived and worked in East Africa years ago, I've always been inspired by how we serve farmers at the micro level, while still operating at scale.”

With a background in engineering and experience in ag-tech product management, Caroline now helps guide the organization’s digital transformation—ensuring the tools they build are grounded in farmer needs and traditional practices.

That digital shift is powering a number of initiatives designed to support farmers more effectively and more personally. Among them:

• Optimized Agronomy Tools: Piloting personalized recommendations for seeds, fertilizer, and timing based on soil and field conditions.

• Remote Sensing + Insurance Innovation: Using satellite imagery to trigger climate-related insurance or loan forgiveness based on crop loss.

• Agricultural Extension Agents: Equipping thousands of agents—many farmers themselves—with digital tools and training to support farmers more effectively.

• Digital Weather Advisory Services (DWAS): Timely, localized weather forecasts delivered via SMS to help farmers plan and adapt to climate shifts. 

• Tupande Mobile App: A smartphone app in Kenya, that allows farmers and their families to order and pay for essential farm inputs from local One Acre Fund shops. 

Each initiative is built to enhance—not replace—the knowledge already rooted in farming communities.

Supporting One Acre Fund’s Digital Transformation

As One Acre Fund modernizes its operations to better serve farmers across sub-Saharan Africa, they’ve partnered with Twilio to help power key parts of their digital evolution. From sending timely weather updates via SMS to improving how rural shops receive and fulfill product orders, Twilio’s communication tools are helping One Acre Fund connect with farmers and field staff more efficiently. 

Delivering Climate-Smart Advice Through DWAS

For smallholder farmers, reliable weather information is often difficult to access—yet it’s essential for planning and success. That’s why One Acre Fund created its Digital Weather Advisory Services (DWAS), which leverage satellite data to provide real-time agricultural insights, delivered directly to farmers' phones.

With support from the Twilio.org Climate Tech Prize, One Acre Fund is scaling DWAS pilots in Rwanda, Burundi, and Nigeria—aiming to reach 25,000 more farmers via SMS by the end of 2025.

DWAS helps farmers: 

• Adjust fertilizer and seed choices based on current weather conditions 
• Time planting and harvesting more effectively
• Respond to increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns

“DWAS is about making weather information useful and actionable,” said Caroline. “It lets farmers adapt while protecting their productivity and land.”

The impact extends beyond short-term yields—it’s a step toward long-term resilience in the face of a changing climate.

Powering Rural Access Through the Tupande Mobile App

While DWAS delivers critical planning information, the Tupande Mobile App gives farmers the means to act on it.

Launched in Kenya, the app enables users to browse, order, and pay for farm suppliers from their nearest duka (One Acre Fund shop). The app also offers flexibility for non-farmers such as relatives living in urban areas or abroad who want to purchase farming supplies for their loved ones in rural communities.

One Acre Fund chose to integrate Twilio SendGrid into the app to help streamline operations. When a customer places an order, SendGrid sends an automated email to the relevant duka, notifying shopkeepers with order details so they can prepare for pickup. Email traffic spikes during key agricultural moments - One Acre Fund delivers 500% more email traffic in March and October, right before the local planting season - highlighting how technology is helping the nonprofit meet those seasonal needs at scale. This simple, behind-the-scenes process plays a critical role in ensuring accurate fulfillment and timely communication.

For farmers like Julius Tovesi, a customer in Kakamega, Kenya, the app has become a great convenience.

“I don’t only purchase products for myself, but for my siblings, my parents, and my neighbors,” he shared. “It’s efficient and convenient.”

The Tupande app also supports One Acre Fund’s financing model. Most customers order on credit and repay their loans after harvest, creating a sustainable cycle that funds future seasons.

Honoring the past, building for the future

As farming continues to evolve, One Acre Fund’s work serves as a reminder that innovation doesn’t mean abandoning tradition—it means amplifying it. Whether through weather-based SMS alerts or digital ordering systems that keep local shops running smoothly, they’re using tech to strengthen what already works.

With thoughtful support from partners like Twilio.org—through both grant funding and communication infrastructure—One Acre Fund is scaling its impact across sub-Saharan Africa, helping farmers thrive in a changing world.

Learn more about the Twilio.org Climate Tech Prize and meet the inspiring innovators building a more sustainable future—like One Acre Fund. Explore the Twilio.org Climate Tech Prize.

Claire FitzGerald is the Environmental Sustainability and ESG Director at Twilio.org. She believes that sustainability and climate action can be accelerated through innovation, and the Twilio.org Impact Fund provides grants and investments to empower our partners' climate resilience efforts. When she’s not thinking about climate action, she's exploring new hiking trails with her family. She can be reached at cfitzgerald [at] twilio.com.