Tigist Getahun

Ethiopian agricultural innovator transforming smallholder farming through mobile technology

Tigist Getahun is an Ethiopian agritech pioneer and founder of FarmCrowdy Ethiopia, a platform connecting smallholder farmers with modern agricultural resources. Born in Addis Ababa, Getahun's work addresses food security challenges while empowering rural communities through technology. Her platform uses mobile apps and IoT sensors to provide real-time market data, weather forecasts, and crop advisory services to farmers in remote regions.

Launched in 2019, FarmCrowdy Ethiopia has impacted over 15,000 farming households, increasing crop yields by an average of 35%. The platform's 'Farmers' Market' feature connects producers directly with buyers, eliminating middlemen and increasing income by 20-40%. Getahun's innovations were recognized by the African Green Revolution Forum in 2021, where she presented a case study on digitizing agricultural supply chains.

Getahun's initiatives include the 'Women in Agriculture' program, providing training and credit access to female farmers. This initiative has created 8,000+ female entrepreneurs in Ethiopia's Amhara region. Her partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) in 2022 established a digital voucher system distributing seeds and fertilizers to drought-affected regions, reaching 50,000 households.

Her TEDx talk "How Tech Can Feed Africa" has over 1.2 million views, highlighting scalable solutions for agricultural challenges. Getahun's work aligns with UN SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality), demonstrating how technology can bridge rural-urban divides.

In 2023, she launched the 'Climate-Smart Farming' initiative, introducing drought-resistant crop varieties and water conservation techniques. Satellite imagery integration now allows early warning systems for pest outbreaks, preventing losses worth $2.3 million annually for participating farmers.