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The Omidyar Network announced today that it has invested an undisclosed amount in Landmapp, an Amsterdam-based property rights company that enables smallholder farmers to document and protect their landholdings.

The San Francisco-based firm said its investment will help Landmapp to grow its customer base in Ghana, where the company is providing its unique service primarily to cocoa farmers. The Omidyar investment also involved the participation of HERi Africa, an existing investor in Landmapp.

“We are delighted to be investing in Landmapp and its exciting model," said Peter Rabley, Omidyar Network’s Venture Partner. "They have clearly shown that farmers in Ghana understand the value of land documentation and are willing to pay for the legal protection they offer. We believe this model can be replicated in other countries.”

Smallholder families around the world – estimated to be about 500 million – face two interrelated challenges: (1) they hold little rights to their land but lack formal documentation, and (2) they are restricted to the informal sector, lacking access to technical and financial services to improve their livelihoods.

Landmapp has a field-based team of surveyors who use handheld GPS devices to map each farmer's plot. The team verifies a farmer's identity, validates the land claim with neighbours, submits the claim to the authorities for legalisation and delivers a final land certificate to the farmer. The company has already sold over 2,000 documents to smallholder farmers in Ghana, demonstrating that farmers are willing to pay for the service.

“Land and property rights is a complex sector, requiring significant knowledge and deep relationships in order to succeed. Omidyar Network has both, so we really couldn't have a better partner on board," said Simon Ulvund, CEO of Landmapp. "And with HERi Africa, we have an investor with a thorough understanding of agriculture value chains and smallholders.”

Established in 2015, Landmapp offers a mobile platform that provides smallholder farmers with documentation of their land. The company was founded by two Amsterdam-based entrepreneurs, Simon Ulvund and Thomas Vaassen. Ghana is Landmapp’s first country of operation, and Ulvund and Vaassen have plans to expand into other countries following a successful rollout in the West African country.

“We're now able to focus on growing our business in Ghana, first looking at scaling the number of land documents sold, while also partnering with complimentary businesses such as financial service providers, unlocking new products and services for smallholder farmers,” said Thomas Vaassen, Landmapp Chief Technology Officer.

The Omidyar Network was established in 2004 by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pam, to invest in innovative organizations that catalyze economic and social change. The organization has committed over $1 billion to both non-profit and for-profit companies across multiple areas such as education, financial inclusion, emerging technologies, property rights, and government and citizen engagement.