Acumen invests in Omia to unlock agricultural markets for displaced farmers in Northern Uganda
A market-driven approach replaces aid dependency with income, agency, and long-term opportunity for displaced farmers and refugee communities
- Blog
- Sustainable agriculture
- East Africa
Acumen has invested in Omia Agribusiness Development Group Ltd., an agribusiness operating across Northern Uganda that provides smallholder farmers with access to quality farm inputs, practical training, and reliable market channels. Omia works extensively with refugee and displaced communities, helping farmers improve productivity, increase incomes, and build resilience in one of the region’s most underserved agricultural markets.
Northern Uganda is home to nearly one million refugees and displaced people, many of whom rely on farming on very small plots of land. These farmers often earn 30–50% less than host communities due to limited access to inputs, lack of training tailored to constrained conditions, and unreliable or exploitative market access. Few agricultural companies have built models that address these realities, leaving many farmers locked out of viable economic participation.
Omia addresses these barriers through an integrated model that combines affordable agricultural inputs, practical training suited to small landholdings, and a buy-back channel that enables farmers to reliably sell their produce. Omia aligns input provision with market access, reducing risk for farmers and creating the confidence needed to invest in higher-quality inputs and improved practices.
Today, Omia serves more than 100,000 smallholder farmers across Northern Uganda, including thousands of forcibly displaced farmers in refugee-hosting districts. The majority of these farmers live below the $2.15 per day poverty line, yet the company’s model is already driving measurable gains: 92% of farmers report higher yields, 89% report increased earnings, and 91% report improved quality of life, demonstrating how access to the right inputs, training, and markets can unlock productivity even in highly constrained environments.
The company’s approach is rooted in building trust in hard-to-reach communities. By offering fair pricing and reliable offtake—often at the expense of higher short-term margins—Omia has developed strong customer loyalty and repeat purchasing behavior, creating a durable and scalable business model in a historically underserved market.
“We are not in the business of reinforcing donor dependence. We are showing farmers that they have the ability to build something greater through enterprise, even in the most challenging environments.”
Iganachi Razaki Omia, founder of Omia
Acumen’s investment, structured as an impact-linked convertible note, will support working capital for high-margin opportunities and enable the company to expand into new districts, deepen engagement with farmer groups, and strengthen its operational and financial systems.
“Omia represents a powerful example of how inclusive business models can unlock both commercial value and meaningful impact,” said Brian Ondeng, Investment Manager at Acumen East Africa. “They are skilled at serving displaced and underserved farmers with dignity and practical solutions, proving that even the hardest-to-reach markets can become engines of growth and resilience.”
This is Acumen’s third investment under its Forcibly Displaced People (FDP) Lens Investing program in East Africa. The program aims to mobilize capital into social enterprises inclusive of FDP and their host populations to increase economic opportunities for displacement-affected communities. It is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
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