Press Release: Farmerline Expands Impact to Togo and Benin with Launch of Two New Farmer Helplines

Lome, Togo & Porto-Novo, Benin – Farmerline is excited to announce the launch of our two newest farmer helplines, 8349 and 7349, in Togo and Benin, respectively. The 8349 helpline will provide farmers in Togo access to agronomic content in Mena, Kabya, Kotokoli, and French, while the 7349 helpline will offer farmers in Benin access to agronomic content in Fon, Yoruba, Bariba, Dendi, and French. This initiative deepens Farmerline’s partnerships across Francophone West Africa and accelerates the company’s commitment to supporting small-scale farmers everywhere.

Aligned with Farmerline’s model, combining local and global industry stakeholder partnerships, well-trained field agents, farm resources, logistics, and award-winning digital tools, the expansion enables farmers in Togo and Benin to benefit from high-quality inputs like fertilizers and seeds. The 8349 and 7349 shortcodes, akin to 911 but for farmers offer free education on climate-smart farming practices and connections to international markets.

The farmer helpline aligns with Farmerline’s mission to empower smallholder farmers across West Africa. Over the past decade, Farmerline has collaborated with 3,000+ partners across 48 countries, supporting over 2 million small-scale farmers. Launched by co-founders Alloysius Attah and Emmanuel Owusu Addai, Farmerline started by delivering daily voice and SMS agronomic messages to 800 farmers in Ghana’s Ashanti region through the Mergdata platform.

“Empowering smallholder farmers and local agribusinesses is fundamental to strengthening global food supply chains,” explains Alloysius. “Togo has approximately 300,000 smallholder farmers, and about 80% of Benin’s 13 million population depends largely on subsistence agriculture. We believe it’s time to expand and fully commit to driving the farmer and agribusiness digitization agenda, including creating and distributing localized agronomic and farm services.”

Recently securing $20 million in funding and expanding the team, Farmerline aims to bring big data management technologies and predictive analytics into farming. Arnaud Loko, Regional Lead for Togo & Benin, notes, “Agriculture remains the core of African economies. By bringing advanced technologies and quality inputs, along with agronomic support, we can make the sector far more efficient and drive economic growth in the region.”

As Farmerline extends its footprint to Togo and Benin, we remain committed to creating lasting profits for farmers, fostering sustainable agriculture, and driving positive change across communities.