Drivers and barriers of a platform-based business model in agriculture: The case of Apollo Agriculture
Erwin van Tuijl (International Centre for Frugal Innovation, International Institute of Social Studies)
Mariam Basajja (Universiteit Leiden, International Centre for Frugal Innovation)
J.C. Intriago (TU Delft - Water Resources, International Centre for Frugal Innovation)
Peter Knorringa (International Institute of Social Studies, International Centre for Frugal Innovation)
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Abstract
The platform economy largely focuses on consumer platforms such as Uber and Airbnb, whereas business-to-business platforms receive less attention.1 This article2 discusses Apollo Agriculture, a Kenyan-Dutch agro-tech platform that aims to support small farmers (‘smallholders’) in rural Africa to set up commercial business through a bundled input loan that they can use to obtain agricultural inputs. These smallholders are normally unattractive as customers due to their small size and high-risk profiles (e.g., limited chance of repaying loans). Apollo tries to support smallholders with an innovative platform-based business model.