New $20M Fund Offers Loans to Agricultural Businesses
Agricultural firms in Africa and Latin America can now access new working-capital loans to help scale their operations.
Updated on Oct. 30, 2026 in Agriculture
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Ground Up Investing has launched a $20 million fund to provide working-capital loans to small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises in Africa and Latin America. The initiative reached a $6 million first close on October 20, 2026, aimed at helping businesses bridge the funding gap between microfinance and commercial lending.
Why it matters
Many agricultural enterprises struggle to secure the capital needed to purchase crops or expand storage capacity, limiting their ability to scale. This new funding stream addresses these liquidity hurdles to help firms maintain operations and support local rural economies.
The new $20 million fund reached a $6 million first close, with loans ranging from $250,000 to $1 million available to target enterprises. This follows the manager's 2017 fund, which deployed $5 million to support 15 businesses and created 800 local jobs.
The players
Ground Up Investing
An investment firm focused on funding small and medium-sized agricultural enterprises in emerging markets.
Corus International
A global development organization serving as the anchor investor for the new fund.
The details
The fund bridges the gap for mid-sized firms that have outgrown microfinance but do not yet meet the criteria of larger commercial banks. By providing two-year working-capital loans, the initiative enables enterprises to pay farmers promptly for crops and invest in improved land management practices. The project aims to drive $200 million in additional income for smallholder farmers while improving sustainability across 20,000 acres.
Timeline
2017: The organization launched its first agricultural investment fund.
October 20, 2026: The fund reached a $6 million first close.
Market Landscape
This launch expands upon the strategy established by the firm's 2017 agricultural fund. It scales the deployment of capital to address the persistent lack of mid-tier financing for rural supply chain operators.
Operators in Africa and Latin America managing agricultural supply chains should monitor these loan availability windows as a potential source of liquidity for seasonal crop purchases. Firms should ensure their financial documentation is prepared to meet the $250,000 to $1 million lending criteria.
The takeaway
Reliable working capital remains a primary bottleneck for scaling agricultural operations in emerging markets. Enterprises should track the deployment of this fund to see if it establishes a new benchmark for loan accessibility for small and medium-sized rural businesses.
Further reading
For additional context on financing trends in rural development, visit Agriculture.
Source note: This article includes information reported by African Leadership Magazine.
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Do you believe private investment funds effectively support the growth of small-scale agricultural businesses?
