Through the ISSAM programme, TracTrac has formed 566 mechanization cooperatives, and only half of those cooperatives have served more than 4,000 farmers and generated millions in revenue. Now, drawing on that work and on seven roundtables with lenders, investors, equipment makers, regulators and government, TracTrac is building bigger ones.
TracTrac MSL is inviting mechanization service providers (MSPs), equipment owners, farmers, entrepreneurs, cooperatives and associations to apply to join mid- to large-sized agricultural mechanization cooperatives. Members get support to register their cooperative, train operators and managers, find customers through the TracTrac Plus app, and prepare the business for funding and growth.
Applications are free. You can apply as an individual or as a group at tractrac.co/msps, and you don't need to own a tractor to start.
Why mechanization works better as a cooperative business
A mechanization cooperative is a group organised to provide agricultural mechanization services and create value for its members, as our plain guide to mechanization cooperatives explains. Members bring different strengths to the business: machinery, technical skills, customer relationships or management capacity. The group also needs clear structures for decisions, responsibilities and running the enterprise.
Size gives that business more room to grow. A mid- to large-sized cooperative can pool more equipment and skills, cover more farms in a season, and keep its machines and operators working for more days. It also builds the scale, records and governance that equipment suppliers, financiers and partners look for before they commit.
What shaped the model
Two things shaped this cooperative expansion model: TracTrac's cooperative model on the ISSAM project, and seven stakeholder roundtables held in August and September 2026. Under the Improving Smallholder Farmers' Access to Small-Scale Agricultural Mechanization Services (ISSAM) project, run in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, TracTrac has formed 566 cooperatives that have served more than 4,000 farmers.
Each ISSAM cooperative runs on clear roles: operators and booking agents serve farmers, while a chairperson, manager, treasurer and secretary run the business, with one mechanic shared across every five cooperatives.
Between 18 August and 17 September 2026, TracTrac held seven roundtables with banks, equipment manufacturers, government agencies, foundations, regulators, DFI's and investors. Each session reached the same point: a tractor parked in a yard fixes nothing. Mechanization works when financing, equipment, training, monitoring, verified demand and coordination pull in one direction.
Four findings shaped the new cooperatives:
- Lenders need to see the business: Banks said they are ready to lend once they can see an MSP's cash flow and who holds the asset. Investors want to see exactly how a tractor turns into a return.
- Well-run businesses get financed: MSPs need good governance, clean records, trained and certified operators, reliable customer relationships, and the ability to collect what they are owed.
- Returns depend on days worked: Land preparation, planting and harvest fall in the same few weeks, and plots of one to five acres are spread out, so tractors lose time travelling between jobs.
- Farmers still wait for machines: Demand often appears where tractors are not, and some farmers who call for one are told to wait 30 days.
The mid- to large-sized cooperatives answer these findings. Registration and advisory support build the governance, records and financing plans lenders asked for. Operator and business training prepares skilled teams. TracTrac Plus links cooperatives to farmers who need their services, helping keep machines and operators busy across the season.
Why you should join
Members of a TracTrac-formed cooperative get support to run mechanization as a business.
- Cooperative registration support: Get help to formalise your cooperative, strengthen its organisation and build a structure for growth.
- Operator and business training: Gain the technical and operational skills to run a stronger, more sustainable mechanization business.
- Customers through technology: Book farmers and fulfil mechanization service requests through the TracTrac Plus mobile app.
- Business development support: Work with professional business development service providers (BDSPs) to raise your business's visibility.
- Advisory support: Strengthen your business model, financial records and financing plans, so your business is better placed to pursue funding and growth opportunities.
Who can apply
You don't need a tractor to start. Your skills, experience and ambition count too, and you can apply as an individual or as a group if you are:
- A mechanization service provider
- An equipment owner
- A farmer
- An entrepreneur who wants to build a mechanization business
- A member of a cooperative or association
How to apply
Applications are free and are accepted on a rolling basis.
- Visit tractrac.co/msps.
- Complete the application form as an individual or as a group.
- No specified deadline.
Become part of the cooperative network of mechanization service providers and help build the future of agricultural mechanization in Nigeria. Apply now at tractrac.co/msps.