By One Acre Fund | One Acre Fund
As harvesting begins across many of our countries, global forecasts indicate a severe El Niño developing later this year, with drought expected across Southern Africa and flooding across East Africa, at a time when farmers are already facing ~50% higher fertilizer and fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict.
Some highlights from our attached Q2 performance report:
2026 Scale Growth: Our core program is on track to reach more than 2.3 million farmers this year, anchored by strong performance in our mature Rwanda program and continued expansion in Burundi – our largest growth market. Nigeria is taking a more measured approach to growth following repayment challenges in 2025 that were driven by unexpectedly low maize prices. Through our systems-change (partnerships) platform, we expect to reach an on-target 4.1 million additional farmers through rural retail, market access, agroforestry, and extension partnerships.
Preparing Farmers for El Niño: We are proactively taking new measures to help farmers prepare for expected drought and flooding from the forecasted severe El Niño. This includes tailoring agronomic recommendations, strengthening pest and disease preparedness, planning targeted seed redistribution, and expanding farmer communications through field officers, radio, and mobile messaging. We are also strengthening financial protection through our insurance program, which is projected to reach 2.3 million farmers this year.
Expanding Weather Protection: While insurance provides an important safety net, it does not fully cover lost harvests or property damage from extreme weather. We are therefore raising $3.4 million in incremental philanthropic support to establish a Disaster Relief Fund for the anticipated 2026–27 El Niño season. The fund will enable rapid emergency cash transfers to vulnerable households, leveraging One Acre Fund’s existing farmer databases, insurance infrastructure, and mobile money systems. Any unused funding will remain ring-fenced to support a permanent, shock-responsive facility for future weather emergencies
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