For a small-scale farmer, growing a good crop is only half the challenge. The other half is selling it at a fair price, finding transport and storage, and knowing what the weather will do next week. Mahsool, the agritech platform built by ACTS, was designed to solve exactly those problems.
Today Mahsool serves more than 30,000 farmers, supported by over 80 agents across Sudan.
Built on research, not assumptions
Before writing any code, our team carried out desk reviews and a needs assessment, interviewing and collecting data from more than 300 farmers, traders and service providers in different states. The message was clear: the biggest problems were supply difficulties and marketing challenges, and any solution had to work for people with low levels of digital literacy.
What Mahsool does
- Market linkage: producers post what they are selling and buyers post what they need. Mahsool connects them and sends SMS notifications about new offers and requests.
- Services: farmers and traders can find service providers such as labour, transport and storage.
- Prices: farmers and traders can check the prices of different crops and commodities in different regions and markets.
- Auctions: producers list their crops, Mahsool agents verify them, and verified buyers bid. This improves access to quality produce, adds transparency, reduces buyer collusion and lowers transaction costs.
- Weather: forecasts and early warnings help farmers plan.
- Mahsool Advisor: an agricultural expert system trained and fine-tuned for the Sudanese context. It answers farmers’ questions and can arrange an expert field visit.
Designed for every phone
Mahsool works through SMS, a call center and WhatsApp, as well as a web app and a mobile app. A farmer without a smartphone can still post an offer, check a price or receive an alert. That decision, made at the research stage, is the main reason the platform has been able to reach so many people.
Extension services and trusted content
Alongside trading, Mahsool delivers agricultural extension content: agronomic advice, climate-smart weather forecasts, price information and nutrition tips. The aim is to make good information as easy to reach as the market itself.
Working with partners
Market linkage is now part of how development partners support farmers. In 2025, ACTS delivered an agricultural market linkage project with Mercy Corps, and in 2026 we are working with Catholic Relief Services and UNIDO on commodity management and farmer financial literacy.
Bring Mahsool to your programme
If you run an agricultural, food security or livelihoods programme in Sudan, Mahsool can help your participants reach markets. Learn more about Mahsool or contact our team.