Isidore impact story

Providing welfare support to grain farmers through Isidore’s Habitats for Hope

In 2022 floods swept through northern Nigeria, ruining crops, jobs, homes, and livelihoods, leading to a humanitarian crisis. In Nigeria 85% of the farming community is made up of smallholder farmers.

“For farmers in low-lying areas like Argungu in Kebbi state, the floods were a terrible jeopardy. Many have lost their livelihood and their homes” says Karen Adie, Founder and CEO of agtech startup Isidore. “The daily realities of these communities, which are usually impoverished, are real. They are facing the brunt of climate change, which has created an uncertainty they live with daily. Without smallholder farmers, hunger would skyrocket in northern Nigeria. These farmers are our partners. As Isidore, we had to do something.”

Building materials for flood damaged homes in Kebbi State. Credit: Ose Agbonyeme, Program Manager.

Isidore, a member of the Founders Factory Africa agtech startup portfolio, provides smallholder farmers with access to capital, market linkages, and value-add tools to improve their incomes.

In response to the flooding, Isidore developed its Habitats for Hope programme to support the rebuilding of the homes of over 40 local grain farmers. Adie hopes to work with over 200 Nigerian farming communities by December 2024. Beyond emergency assistance, the Habitats for Hope programme focuses on housing and living conditions, education and skills development, and healthcare and disease prevention.

“We could not just limit the programme to housing and living conditions. If a farmer gets sick and cannot tend to their land, it directly impacts that farmer’s ability to feed themselves, their family, and the surrounding community that relies on them. Worse, it directly impacts that farmer’s livelihood, with the sale of excess crops being their primary source of income,” says Adie.

This impact story was drawn from an article by Modupe Gbadeyanka at Housing Cable.