How innovative mobile apps benefit farmers in India

India’s agriculture sector holds immense significance, employing most of its workforce. However, agricultural yields fall short of global standards by approximately 35-50%. To address this gap, numerous AgTech startups, such as Agrify Fresh and Bharat Krushi Seva (BKS), have emerged, aiming to leverage digital solutions to boost productivity. To explore the latest sector trends and gain a deeper understanding of India’s agricultural landscape, Dominik Candreia and Gerald Weigl traveled within the state of Maharashtra. They talked with farmers, traders, entrepreneurs, and fellow investors. In this photo story, Dominik, elea’s Head of IT, shares his impressions and the insights he gained.

"Witnessing the transformative impact of mobile applications on food production was truly impressive. I strongly believe that a digital revolution in the Indian agriculture sector has only just begun," states Dominik.

Upon arriving in the rural area around Solapur, Dominik witnessed traditional agricultural practices: farmers plowing their fields and transporting sugar cane with a wooden wagon pulled by oxen.

In stark contrast to traditional methods, two Agri Fresh employees (wearing blue shirts) are demonstrating their innovative mobile application in the field with a customer from a farming community to enhance the user experience.

The screenshot showcases the irrigation alert feature of BKS’ mobile app, which details the irrigation requirements for specific crops based on surface temperature, soil depth temperature, soil moisture, and crop maturity stages. This helps farmers improve their crop growth while conserving water.

Occasional physical meetings occur in rural farming communities, where BKS experts provide strategic advice, such as introducing new crops, modern farming methods, and sustainable agricultural techniques. They also invite selected, innovative farmers to the stage.

Advisory can drive change through focus on the right things:

Following BKS’ advice, a community near Solapur is now growing a new variety of seedless grapes that are in high demand for export, significantly increasing family incomes.

Dominik also visited a farming community near Nashik in the north of Maharashtra, another customer of Agrify Fresh. New crops were introduced alongside water-saving irrigation methods, such as drip irrigation, where the covering further reduces evaporation.

In this case, the farmer switched to pomegranate cultivation, resulting in much higher revenue with less farming effort. This allowed him to build a house for his family.

Rajkumar (wearing an orange shirt) achieves higher yields, such as with his tomato crops, thanks to the advice from the BKS app. With the surplus of the first yield, he built the foundation and roof of his new house, which can be seen in the picture. This is a significant improvement, and his family is looking forward to completing and moving into their new home, as they currently live in a nearby shack.

Providing sustainable and impactful services requires much more than just an app:

The team behind the scenes of BKS in Pune comprises highly skilled engineers, agronomists, meteorologists, and IT specialists. They ensure the delivery of easy-to-read information and advice for smallholder farmers by incorporating simple infographics to enhance accessibility for illiterate farmers.

In the same building, a team of call center agents is regularly in touch with customers to understand their experiences and gather feedback beyond the app. They aim to ensure customer satisfaction by addressing any issues or suggestions. Customers are typically contacted via phone or WhatsApp weekly or bi-weekly, depending on their specific needs.

A nursery for seedlings in the Nashik region allows for growth and sorting under controlled conditions, enhancing the quality of both the seedlings and the resulting yields. Logistics are streamlined, as farmers can conveniently order seedlings directly through the Agrify Fresh app and have them delivered straight to their farms. This also saves farmers time and effort, eliminating the need to travel to distant markets to purchase supplies in person.

Collection centers are often set up close to farms, sometimes temporarily during the harvest season. Farmers bring their produce to these centers and receive immediate payment. Agrify Fresh employees then take over, managing the sorting, packaging, and timely delivery to consumers. This approach relieves farmers of the burdens of distribution, customer acquisition, and traveling to distant markets. Moreover, the swift processing ensures that fruits and vegetables are fresher when they reach customers, allowing even distant regions to be served efficiently.

Traders sell products such as fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides in Agri markets. BKS integrates these shops into their app and manages the logistics, eliminating the need for farmers to travel to make purchases. Instead, farmers can order the products online and have them delivered directly to their farms. Another transformative feature of the app is its advisory service: farmers can view tailored recommendations for their crops, including what products they need, in what quantities, and how to apply them.

Impact creation is tangible and happens at scale:

At the end of their India trip, our colleagues traveled to picturesque ”Grape County,” a region in Nashik known for its vineyards. Wine production is a growing sector in this region.

Still in “Grape County,” Dominik and Gerald experienced exceptional hospitality. They were invited to a farmer’s home, where they were warmly welcomed with a "Gandhi cap" and refreshments and introduced to the entire family. This visit also offered valuable insight into the living conditions of the farmers and their families.

Sector insights

Advisory is an important enabler: Providing extensive advisory data in an app, such as weather conditions, satellite imagery, and soil composition, in a format accessible even to farmers with limited or no literacy can boost yields by up to 50%. Additionally, it can lead to a reduction in the use of fertilizer and plant protection agents by as much as 30%.
Service integration is key: To ensure the sustainable adoption of the advisory app by farmers, it's crucial to integrate additional services and offerings seamlessly. For example, providing a simple one-click option for ordering fertilizers, crop protection agents, and seeds, combined with expedited delivery, removes the need for time-consuming trips to agricultural markets. Equally important is offering personalized instructions based on collected data, ensuring farmers receive accurate guidance on how to apply these products effectively.
Platform can serve as a door to markets: In addition, many new AgTech startups integrate market information and access. Data like price trends and harvest projections give farmers the information required to optimize their income, e.g., by timing harvest. Online marketplaces allow them to streamline the sale of goods and to compare potential buyers and logistic options.

Conclusions

At elea, we are convinced that digital agricultural technology is an important change lever. We nevertheless see adoption as the key challenge: Models that sustainably unlock use and impact creation by smallholder farmers are our focus. Monetization can be difficult in this segment and we therefore mostly look at impact venture that integrate hands-on services in their model.
Regional differences can significantly impact technology adoption, even within India. While Maharashtra boasts high smartphone adoption, other states are still catching up. For instance, our portfolio venture, Oorja, provides solar irrigation services in northern India, where advisory and monetization strategies must account for a cash-based economy and limited smartphone access. Technology is important but needs to be adapted to local conditions for effective adoption.
Given the increased penetration of smartphones and data services to rural areas around the globe, we will see more and more impact ventures reaching smallholder farmers through digital technology. Insights from trips like the recent one to India significantly shape our perception, outlook, and activity in the sector.

Authors and photographers: Dominik Candreia, Head of IT at elea & Gerald Weigl, Executive Director at elea