Agritech
Tilth
Most smallholder farmers in Ghana plant, fertilize, and harvest without knowing their own soil composition, without localized weather forecasting, and without season-over-season data on what actually worked. The result shows up directly in yield: Ghanaian maize farmers average around 2.3 MT/ha, against an achievable 5 MT/ha demonstrated in CSIR on-farm trials using the same varieties, under the same conditions — the gap is information, not land or labor.
That gap ripples outward. Farmers underproduce relative to potential, so Ghana still imports large volumes of food it has the land and farmers to grow itself — while, paradoxically, 1.2 million metric tonnes of maize, rice, and soya currently sit stranded in warehouses, unable to reach buyers. Ghana isn't short on grain. It's short on the information and infrastructure to grow it well and move it efficiently.
Tilth OS closes the information gap first. It delivers an AI agronomist via WhatsApp and USSD — no smartphone required — giving farmers real-time, farm-specific guidance on soil, weather, and pest risk, and every season generates a structured data record per farm.
Tilth Finance, our submission to the Startup Cup, builds on that foundation. Better information closes the yield gap, but farmers still can't hold a good harvest if they need cash immediately — so they sell at harvest-low prices regardless of how well the season went. Tilth Finance uses the farm data Tilth OS collects as collateral: a farmer deposits grain at a certified warehouse, receives a digital receipt, and gets a cash advance to mobile money via Moolre Disbursements — no bank required. They sell when prices recover and repay via USSD through Moolre Collections.
Tilth OS proves the information gap can be closed. Tilth Finance turns that proof into capital access.
