Key Takeaways

• Crop2Cash built a USSD wallet to give farmers access to financial services without smartphones or the internet.

• The wallet was designed with simplicity, security, and farmer feedback at its core.

• Over 500,000 farmers now use the wallet for savings, payments, inputs, loans, and insurance.

• Crop2Cash plans to scale nationwide and expand services like credit, insurance, and AI-powered advisory tools.

Across Nigeria, millions of smallholder farmers are left out of digital agriculture solutions. Not because they don’t want innovation, but because most tools are built for people with smartphones and reliable internet access. This digital gap means that the very people who grow our food are often excluded from the financial and agricultural services they need most. At Crop2Cash, we saw this not as a problem of farmers’ willingness, but as a challenge we needed to solve.

The challenge

Reports like Error 404, Farmer Not Found highlight these barriers clearly: farmers avoid calls from unknown numbers, hesitate to install new apps, buy the cheapest data bundles and switch them off quickly to prevent them from finishing early, and are cautious about learning unfamiliar technologies. These are not signs of resistance to progress; they are reminders that existing solutions don’t fit the realities of rural life.

On top of that, smallholder farmers without smartphones face issues with accessing agricultural information, market reach, and digital resources due to financial constraints, lack of infrastructure, poor connectivity, and limited digital literacy. This "digital divide" prevents them from benefiting from tools and services that could enhance their productivity, manage risks, and improve their livelihoods. 

That raised a big question for us. If farmers can’t easily use internet-based tools, how do we still deliver the benefits of digital finance to them?

The answer to the question we asked ourselves pointed to a technology that has been around for several years, and it’s still incredibly used—The unstructured supplementary data (USSD).

Why USSD?

USSD are star-hash codes, like *123#, which work on any type of phone, from the latest smartphone to the simplest feature phone. It doesn’t need mobile data, and it is available across all networks. The beautiful part is that farmers are already familiar with it through airtime purchases and basic banking. 

For us, USSD was the perfect fit because it is:

• Accessible: it works on the “small small phones” most farmers already own. The Yorubas usually refer to it as tanasobe because of its features.

• Affordable: no internet required, which removes the burden of expensive data.

• Simple: short menus and clear steps make it easy to use, even for people new to digital tools.

• Trusted: farmers already use USSD daily for other transactions, so adoption feels natural.

By building our wallet on USSD, we weren’t asking farmers to change their habits or buy new devices — we were meeting them where they already are.

How We Built It (Behind the Scenes)

When we set out to build the Base USSD (formerly CashCard), one principle we held to is to design with smallholder farmers in mind.

We realised that most of these farmers face similar challenges. So instead of building a system that asked them to adapt to new technology, we built a wallet that adapts to their reality.

The first thing we considered while building Base USSD was simplicity and speed. It was designed with an intuitive menu that uses plain language and keeps transactions to just a few steps. If a farmer can buy airtime, they can use our wallet. They don’t need a smartphone or the internet.

However, simplicity alone is not enough without security. Every transaction is protected by a 4-digit PIN that farmers set during registration. We also introduced additional checks when customers want to increase their transfer limits, and our customer support team actively follows up with users to confirm activity and ensure accounts remain secure. Protecting farmers’ money is just as important as making it accessible.

We also knew that building for farmers meant building with farmers. From the beginning, we tested early versions of the menu in the field, listening to feedback and refining the experience. Each iteration was shaped by real farmers’ voices, whether it was rewording a menu item, rearranging options, or simplifying steps. What exists today is the result of continuous cycles of farmer feedback and beta testing.

Of course, no innovation like this happens in isolation. And because we promote SDG 17, Partnerships have been central to bringing the Base USSD to life. Working with trusted institutions like FCMB and regulators ensured that the system is not only reliable and scalable but also integrated into Nigeria’s wider financial ecosystem.

How to Use The Product

To use Crop2Cash Base USSD is simple. All a farmer needs to do is dial *347*46# on their phone, and they are set for a smooth ride. Here’s how it works:

1. Dial the code
   
   

• The process begins by dialing *347*46#.
  
  

• A short menu will appear, guiding the farmer step by step.
  
  

2. Provide basic details
   
   

• Farmers will be asked for simple information such as their name and date of birth.
  
  

• This helps us create a personalized account for their farm transactions.
  
  

3. Set a secure PIN
   
   

• Each farmer creates a 4-digit transaction PIN (e.g., 1234).
  
  

• This PIN protects the account and is required every time they want to send money, buy inputs, or carry out any transaction.
  
  

4. Congratulations — you’re set up!
   
   

• Once registration is complete, the farmer instantly has a working Crop2Cash account.
  
  

• They can now send and receive money, buy inputs, purchase airtime, and more.
  
  

To serve farmers better, we encourage them to update their profile details such as state, local government area, BVN, and types of crops or livestock they grow. These details help us recommend the right services, from inputs to insurance, and make sure every farmer can access the right opportunities.

What Can Farmers Do with Base USSD?

By dialing the same code (*347*46#), farmers can:

• Check balances and see their recent transactions.

• Send and receive money safely from any phone.

• Buy airtime for themselves or others, on any network.

• Access the marketplace to buy seeds, fertilizers, and other farm inputs.

• Get crop insurance to protect against risks like floods or pests.

• Book tractors and other equipment to improve productivity.

• Keep records of sales and expenses through a simple bookkeeping tool.

• Request support by asking for a call from our customer care agents.

Impact So Far

Since launching the USSD wallet, more than 500,000 farmers have been onboarded onto the Crop2Cash platform. Through it, farmers are now able to save securely and make payments easily without needing smartphones or internet access.

However, the real impact is in the stories of the farmers themselves:

• Bunmi Akerele, a smallholder farmer, shared how Crop2Cash has changed his farming experience:
  
  

“One thing about Crop2Cash is that if you are using tanasobe, all these small phones, you can use it to transact business with them. You just press 347*46*1# to register. Through Crop2Cash, I can now get quality agricultural inputs at prices lower than the market, access loans without collateral, and even insure my farm. It has really reduced my worries.”

Apart from Bunmi Akerele, other farmers also shared their Crop2Cash experience:

• “Before, I struggled to access farming knowledge, but with the support of FCMB, Crop2Cash, and Mastercard Foundation, I now understand better farming practices.”
  
  

• “I used to harvest only 10 bags from a hectare of land. With the support and inputs from Crop2Cash, I now get over 50 bags.”
  
  

• “Before, I didn’t even have a bank account because I was afraid of losing money. Now, with Crop2Cash and FCMB, I feel supported and confident using financial services.”
  
  

These stories are fulfilling to us because, beyond smooth transactions, they show how financial inclusion and access to resources can transform farming outcomes, increase yields, and boost rural incomes.

By meeting farmers where they are, Crop2Cash is bridging the gap between rural communities and the digital economy, ensuring that no farmer is left behind.

Looking Ahead

At Crop2Cash, one of our cultures includes innovation. Looking ahead, we plan to scale into more regions, reach more farmers, and strengthen our core mission: making formal financing accessible to smallholder farmers through technology.

Our operating system for agricultural lending will continue to power this vision by enabling farmers to:

• Pay and get paid securely

• Build a digital financial profile

• Access credit that transforms their farms into profitable businesses, while giving financial institutions the confidence to lend safely
  
  

We are also expanding services that improve farmers’ resilience and productivity. Some of them include:

• Weather advisory services: protecting farmers from risks of unpredictable weather

• Input purchases: making it easy to buy quality seeds, fertilisers, and agrochemicals directly from their wallets 

• National Hotline for Agriculture (NHFA): an AI-powered call agent designed to provide instant, intelligent, and actionable agricultural support to farmers in Nigeria, Africa, and eventually the world.   

• Deepening inclusion: ensuring every farmer, regardless of phone type or internet access, can participate in the digital economy
  
  

Our vision is to create a future where no farmer is left behind because of the tools they use or the place they live.

Bottom Line

At Crop2Cash, we believe financial tools should be simple, inclusive, and built for everyone. By designing with farmers in mind, we’ve shown that it’s possible to bridge the gap between rural communities and the digital economy.

But this is just the beginning. To harness the agricultural wealth in Nigeria and beyond, we need to keep building, keep scaling, and keep partnering.

If you are an investor, development partner, or innovator passionate about financial inclusion, we invite you to join us. Together, we can ensure that no farmer is left behind because of the phone they use or the place they live.

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