Agricultural output across Africa has increased rapidly, yet many farmers are still stuck in low-income cycles due to inadequate market access rather than low productivity. These farmers produce a variety of crops but often struggle to reach structured buyers, regional markets, or export channels that offer stable prices and higher profit margins.
The challenges that farmers face in accessing profitable markets can be addressed through various strategies, including digital tools and trade agreements.
In 2026, farmers need to connect directly with markets to achieve higher incomes. This article provides approaches that will benefit farmers, including smallholder farmers who are mostly at the receiving end of struggles with market access, thereby increasing their earnings.
Market access is the ability of producers, including farmers, agribusinesses, or exporters, to enter, compete in, and sustain participation in a market where buyers exist, under clear rules, standards, and pricing conditions.
In agriculture, market access goes beyond selling produce locally and includes access to domestic, regional, and international markets that offer reliable demand, fair pricing, and significant growth opportunities.
Traditionally, market access in Africa was informal and localised, dominated by farm-gate sales, middlemen, and open markets with little quality differentiation. Prices were largely determined by proximity and bargaining power rather than standards or demand signals. As trade expanded and value chains globalised, market access began to include compliance with quality, safety, and phytosanitary standards, especially for export markets.
In the last decade, market access has further evolved with the rise of regional trade frameworks (such as AfCFTA), digital marketplaces, and structured value chains linking farmers directly to processors, retailers, and exporters. Today, access is affected by factors such as traceability, certification, logistics efficiency, data transparency, and trade policy alignment.
Market access is essential for farmers, as the ability to sell their produce directly affects their income. Without it, they are vulnerable to challenges such as price fluctuations, post-harvest losses, and reliance on exploitative intermediaries. Limited access to markets can hinder their financial stability and overall agricultural success.
A structured market access enables:
Market access serves as a vital link between agricultural potential and economic value, promoting inclusive growth, expanding trade, and transforming food systems in Africa.
According to the FAO, Africa is increasingly recognised as a strategic investment destination and a growing market for goods and services. Africa holds about 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet it imports over $110 billion worth of food annually, largely due to weak market linkages rather than production constraints.
Below are the practical steps African farmers and agribusinesses can use to unlock market access:
1. Leverage Digital Platforms: Digital marketplaces are transforming how farmers connect with buyers by cutting out intermediaries and ensuring fair prices. Platforms like AFEX Commodities Exchange facilitate the trading and financing of warehouse receipts. Farmers can list products on apps that provide real-time bids from processors and exporters, while data analytics helps them forecast prices and strategically time their sales.
In Nigeria, AFEX partners with capital markets to channel investments to farmers via transparent exchanges. This scales production and stabilises incomes amid food security pushes.
2. AfCFTA for Intra-African Trade: The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is reshaping regional trade by eliminating tariffs on up to 90% of goods, opening wider and more competitive African markets. To fully benefit from duty-free exports, businesses must certify their products to AfCFTA standards and plug into trade hubs that offer integrated transport, logistics, and simplified customs processes. With support from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), firms can also access the financing needed to scale cross-border operations. An example of a DFI is the African Development Bank.
3. Agro-Processing Zones: Agro-processing zones are designated industrial clusters designed to bring farming, processing, storage, logistics, and markets into a single coordinated ecosystem. They reduce the distance between farms and factories, lower transport and post-harvest losses, and make it easier for farmers to sell at predictable prices.
Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) are present in Africa, specifically in Ethiopia and Nigeria. They focus on essential infrastructure such as power, water, roads, storage, and quality control facilities, making them attractive to private investors and agro-processors.
4. Mobile Application Integration: Mobile apps provide weather updates, market prices, and buyer connections, empowering remote farmers. It is important to adopt apps for digital payments, loans, and pest alerts. Community programs can offer training on how to use these platforms effectively. Additionally, collaboration with network providers can help expand rural connectivity.
Nasiru Darma, Operations Lead at Extension Africa, highlights that Market access isn’t just about selling more; it’s about linking farmers to real buyers, quality inputs, and services that make their output tradable and competitive.
Intermediaries like Extension Africa serve as connectors, equipping farmers with knowledge and dependable channels that help them participate in formal markets rather than fragmented local markets.
True market access for African farmers depends on holistic support that combines technology, extension, and private–public partnership models. As Ben Leyka, CEO of African Agri Council, states, “Africa’s agricultural future hinges on how effectively we connect producers with high-value markets.” Simply increasing production doesn’t guarantee access; producers must be connected to networks that deliver buyers, quality standards, logistics, and information.
In 2026, the way forward is clear: farmers must move beyond informal sales to structured, data-driven, and regionally integrated markets. When farmers are linked to reliable buyers, quality standards, finance, and logistics, agriculture shifts from survival to enterprise. Unlocking market access at scale will raise farmer incomes, strengthen food security, reduce import dependence, and position Africa as a competitive player in regional and global agri-markets.
