Agriculture has long been a cornerstone of Egypt’s economy, employing nearly a quarter of the workforce and playing a central role in food security, rural livelihoods, and economic stability. Yet despite its significance, the sector continues to grapple with structural issues: fragmented value chains, outdated practices, limited market access, and above all, constrained access to formal financing.

In recent years, however, a new player has entered the field: agrifintech, a blend of agriculture and financial technology that is beginning to redefine how farming works in Egypt. These emerging solutions use digital tools—from AI and blockchain to mobile apps and digital wallets—to give smallholder farmers access to credit, insurance, supply chain visibility, and market linkages that were previously out of reach.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), agriculture supports the livelihoods of 55% of Egypt’s population and directly employs about 30% of the workforce. The sector also accounts for roughly 20% of the country’s total exports and foreign exchange earnings. Despite its importance, Egypt relies on imports to meet around 40% of its food needs, spending approximately $2.5 billion annually. In 2024, former Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Saeed noted that agriculture contributes about 15% to Egypt’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Digital finance meets farming

A growing number of startups, financial institutions, and development agencies are now entering Egypt’s agrifintech space. These players are offering services such as crop-based loans, pay-as-you-harvest financing, remote sensing, and digital marketplaces. By removing financing bottlenecks, improving transparency, and enabling precision agriculture, these platforms are making farming more profitable and sustainable.

Hussien Aboubakr, Founder and CEO of Mozare3—an agri-fintech company operating across Egypt and the Middle East—highlighted the impact of integrated support systems in transforming the farming sector. “Mozare3 provides access to input financing, agronomic guidance, and guaranteed market linkages. By doing so, we help farmers move away from subsistence-level practices toward more predictable, scalable, and profitable operations,” he said. As of 2024, the company worked with over 35 contracted farms and serves more than 100 farmers across Egypt.

Noha Tawfik, Financial Director at Mozare3, added that by providing timely agronomic support and precision data, Mozare3 helps farmers adopt best practices that increase yield quality and reduce post-harvest losses. “Our market access feature ensures that crops are pre-contracted and sold through secure channels, minimizing unsold inventory or spoilage,” she noted.

Mozare3 also leverages flexible, harvest-aligned repayment models to ease the financial burden on smallholder farmers. “The installment payment feature is represented by gradually deducting seedlings dues from their crop deliveries throughout the harvest season,” explained Tawfik.

Traditionally, farmers relied on informal credit or faced the challenge of large upfront payments, limiting their ability to scale operations. Under Mozare3’s model, loan installments are calculated based on the total financing amount—which includes both in-kind support for production inputs and cash for labor—offered at subsidized interest rates through government and Central Bank initiatives.

Repayment is structured over periods of up to five years and aligned with agricultural seasons or crop cycles, enabling farmers to repay based on actual income from their harvests. To facilitate this model, Mozare3 has partnered with the National Bank of Egypt and the Agricultural Bank of Egypt to extend tailored loan products to its farmers.

She added, “Financial inclusion is at the heart of our mission. We’re piloting microloans in cooperation with banks beyond input financing, and we’re working with partners to co-develop crop insurance products tailored to local risks like climate variability.”

Rethinking supply chain

Farah Emara, Co-founder and CEO of FreshSource, a company that manages the entire fresh food value chain, including transportation, storage, and packaging in cold storage and packing facilities, believes technology is key to driving efficiency across the agricultural value chain. “Agritech is a game-changer for smallholder farmers because it makes the entire agricultural process more efficient, transparent, and profitable. From better forecasting to post-harvest solutions, technology helps farmers reduce waste, improve quality, and access new markets.”

But innovation hasn’t come easy. “Our biggest challenge was changing behavior in a deeply traditional and informal supply chain. Most farmers and suppliers have worked the same way for decades, so introducing digital tools or structured processes wasn’t always met with open arms” said Emara. “What worked was showing up consistently and delivering real value—better prices, less waste, faster payments. We built trust first, and the technology followed.”

FreshSource now works across the ecosystem to build shared value. “With banks, our role is to provide transparency and data that can support decision-making down the line. With the government, we align our work with national priorities like food security and rural development.”

Emara sees an urgent need for infrastructure and long-term investment: “We need partners who understand the nuances of rural markets, who are willing to fund longer-term impact, and who value building inclusive systems, not just apps. The real transformation happens in the messy middle—between the farm and the marketplace—and that’s where support is most critical.”

Input accessibility

Fady Ibrahim, Founder and CEO of Cropsa, an agricultural platform that streamlines buying and selling processes between companies, retailers, and farmers through a fully integrated online marketplace, points to affordability and input quality as major hurdles. “For a farmer to start cultivating, he needs initial financing to start buying crops, fertilizers, pesticides, and preparing the land. He also needs inputs that have a lot of problems, including the quality of these inputs and their price.”

He noted that costs can triple by the time products reach the farmer, calling the markup a “disaster.”

To address this, Cropsa began contracting directly with farmers and supplying their harvests to factories. “The margin or fees that we take, we take from factories and not the farmers,” he said.

Ibrahim also outlined Cropsa’s push into carbon financing. “We are currently negotiating with international organizations to help farmers in the carbon credit area. Farmers that utilize solar panels or modern irrigation systems in the last three months can be issued certificates that will act as a source of income to pay back the financing for those systems.”

Ethical finance, risk protection

A key pillar of Cropsa’s model is Islamic finance. “We provide three paths for installments, which all follow Islamic financing. Even companies that didn’t offer Islamic financial products, we obliged them to acquire Islamic financing certificates,” said Ibrahim.

Instead of charging traditional interest, Cropsa applies what it refers to as a “return” on financing, which typically includes a modest markup. “This is, in one way or another, linked to the insurance component,” explained Ibrahim.

Cropsa offers an Islamic installment plan that delivers Sharia-compliant financing solutions tailored for farmers and agricultural businesses. The service enables users to purchase agricultural inputs through flexible, interest-free payment plans, charging only a minimal service fee rather than conventional interest.

Part of a broader platform, the installment offering is integrated with agricultural consultations, product listings, and delivery services—creating a comprehensive, ethically grounded ecosystem for managing and expanding farming operations. Installments range from EGP 3,000 to EGP 5 million, providing tailored financial support to both smallholders and larger agribusinesses.

He added that Cropsa provides insurance in cases of crop loss, serious illness, or disasters such as fire. “We also provide insurance against climate fluctuations, offering farmers additional protection from risks beyond their control.”

Cropsa has built partnerships with all major microfinance firms in Egypt and most Islamic banks, selecting only those that offer affordable and compliant financing options. “Those are the two biggest challenges faced by farmers,” he emphasized.

Toward a digital future

Egypt’s agrifintech space is still young, but it is rapidly evolving. With startups bridging the gap between traditional agriculture and modern finance, the sector holds significant promise for improving food security, economic inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

To sustain this momentum, ecosystem-wide collaboration is vital—from infrastructure investment and policy reform to inclusive financing and grassroots engagement. As Emara noted, “The real transformation happens in the messy middle” —and that is precisely where the future of Egypt’s farming economy will be shaped.