Mercy Corps Ventures invests in Farm to Feed to tackle food waste in Africa

KENYA – Mercy Corps Ventures has announced a new investment in Farm to Feed, Africa’s first digital marketplace for imperfect and surplus produce.

The funding will help the Kenya-based, women-led startup expand its work to reduce post-harvest losses, increase farmer incomes, and build more sustainable food systems.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, food losses after harvest cost an estimated US$4 billion every year, enough to feed more than 48 million people. Much of this food is wasted not because it is unsafe, but because it looks odd or has minor damage.

Farm to Feed provides an alternative by purchasing entire harvests from farmers, including the produce that would otherwise be rejected, and reselling them through its business-to-business platform.

From a GoFundMe Campaign to a Scalable Enterprise

Farm to Feed started during the COVID-19 pandemic to support local farmers who had lost their usual buyers. What began as a small GoFundMe effort to deliver surplus food to vulnerable households in Nairobi has grown into a structured enterprise tackling three key challenges: food waste, climate change, and farmer livelihoods.

“Farm to Feed was born out of necessity,” a company spokesperson said. “We saw farmers struggling to sell their produce while many people were going hungry. We decided to connect those two problems and create a market that values all food, not just the perfect-looking kind.”

The company first collaborated with Mercy Corps AgriFin in 2022 to design its digital marketplace and build systems that track carbon savings, food loss reduction, and the progress of climate-smart supply chains. The latest investment by Mercy Corps Ventures now brings the partnership to a higher level.

A Market for Imperfect Produce

Farm to Feed sources produce directly from smallholder and large-scale farmers, aggregates it, and supplies both Grade 1 and “rescue-grade” fruits and vegetables to commercial kitchens, schools, and restaurants.

“Our buyers use rescue-grade produce in soups and sauces, where appearance doesn’t matter, while top-grade items go into salads and other visible dishes,” the team explained.

Before joining the platform, about 46% of farmers used their surplus as animal feed, while others composted or discarded it entirely. Farm to Feed’s model allows them to sell more of their harvest, earning better income and reducing waste.

The company plans to introduce semi-processed products, such as peeled garlic and chopped vegetables, to attract more institutional buyers across the region. “Convenience is a strong driver in food service,” the team noted. “We want to make it easier for businesses to use rescued produce in everyday operations.”

Mercy Corps Ventures said the investment aligns with its focus on climate-smart technologies and adaptive agriculture. “Farm to Feed shows how market linkages and innovation can cut post-harvest losses while building stronger food systems,” the organization said in a statement.

“We’re excited to partner with them as they keep surplus and imperfect produce in the food chain instead of landfills.”

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