Dealflow | October 29, 2020

Acceso acquires Exensio to boost small farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean

Dennis Price
ImpactAlpha Editor

Dennis Price

ImpactAlpha, Oct. 29 – Acceso is acquiring Mexico City-based Exensio to boost the information flow to small farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Smallholder farmers in Latin America and the Caribbean make up roughly half of the region’s 130 million farmers; most lack access to basic agricultural information to enhance productivity.

The combined company aims to improve farmer production with in-person agricultural training and customized digital information. The acquisition “should result in enhanced agricultural productivity and market access, therefore improving farmers’ livelihoods and quality of life,” said Virgilio Barco of Acumen, which owns 20% of Acceso Colombia.

Acceso’s businesses in Colombia, El Salvador, and Haiti connect small farmers with large domestic food companies and international markets and have generated over $50 million for more than 15,000 smallholder farmers and farm workers. Exensio, a spin off of Esoko, has provided more than 19,000 farmers with information on weather and pest management, production risks, agricultural best practices and market trends.