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According to a publication by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), smallholder farmers manage over 80% of the world’s estimated 500 million small farms and supply more than 80% of the food to the world. Yet, these farmers are often neglected because they reside in remote and environmentally fragile locations.While technological innovations are transforming the agriculture sector in a revolutionary way, the last mile supply chain is still the weak link. As a result, smallholder farmers continue to grapple with resource constraints and farm inefficiency both of which could have serious implications on growing population and climate change challenges.The entire agricultural ecosystem needs to come together to improve the last mile supply chain. Here are some strategies to do it right:Market AccessSmallholder farmers usually rely on local markets in their vicinity to procure seeds, fertilizers, and farm machinery and tools and sell their harvest. One of the main reasons is that they lack access to semi-urban and urban markets due to poor road connectivity and inadequate transport alternatives.The public and private entities should build roads and transport services to reduce the supply chain gap. Quality input resources can be made available to the farmers at their village shops or exclusive agro-kiosks.Financial AccessA majority of smallholder farmers do not have access to institutional credit and insurance services. There are either no financial institutions in their areas or they lack inclusion in formal banking and insurance. The financial institutions are apprehensive about taking risks with farmers due to a lack of proper documentation and credibility. Even if they do provide credit or insurance, it is expensive for farmers.It is necessary to set up easy-to-access, easy-to-understand, easy-to-afford financial services for the farmers. There is a need to come up with a mechanism that clears land titles/disputes and gives digital identities to farmers to eliminate documentation-related issues for availing credit.

Farming has always comprised a multitude of activities and processes, right from tilling to harvesting. However, today, farmers are under mounting pressure to make farming efficient due to the global food security and climate change challenges. This is possible only when farmers automate and streamline day-to-day operations. Farm management software is a smart and valuable tool that can help do this.Let’s take a look at various ways farm management software can empower farmers and enhance farm capabilities:Data Analysis & ManagementFarms generate a humungous amount of data on soil, weather, crop health, pests, etc. This data is of no use if it can’t be translated into actionable insights. Farm management software can digitize the entire data and put it in electronic format for easy and quick analysis in a few clicks. Based on these insights, farmers can make informed and real-time decisions.

Agriculture is predominantly a rural economic activity, especially in developing and underdeveloped nations. It plays a crucial role in uplifting farming communities and rural establishments. However, the growing level of urbanization has raised serious concerns regarding its effects on agriculture. Currently, 56% of the world’s population lives in cities. It is expected that the urban population will more than double its current size by 2050. While urban development is considered the engine of economic growth, it also brings a fair share of challenges in terms of making more space and creating livelihoods. It puts pressure on natural resources which in turn can adversely impact the agriculture sector. At the same time, cities are also the hub of technological innovation, policy making, and higher productivity which are necessary to drive rural growth. Hence, it is challenging to determine whether urbanization is a threat or an opportunity for agriculture. Let’s explore both perspectives for a better understanding.

In a high-level event co-organized by several international institutions in 2016 for achieving gender equality in the framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it was established that rural women empowerment holds the key to ending hunger and poverty. It is also critical for agricultural development.Unfortunately, despite constituting 43% of the global agricultural labor force, female farmers face socio-economic-cultural constraints which prevent them as well as the agriculture sector to realize full potential. Let’s take a look at these challenges.1. Lack of RecognitionWomen farmers put in as much blood and sweat as their male counterparts to grow food for the world. However, their contribution is overlooked. Their role is usually termed as ‘helpers’ or ‘secondary farm hands’. They are the ‘invisible workforce’ which fails to get recognition from government, media, and industry.

Technology is driving revolutionary transformations in the agriculture sector. It is empowering farmers to access modern tools and techniques, and real-time information to farm smartly and boost farm productivity. However, millions of farmers across the world, especially in rural regions are still unable to harvest the benefits of technology. One of the reasons is the lack of internet access. It could be due to any of the following reasons: Farmers don’t own smartphones. There is no internet service provider. The coverage network is poor and unreliable. Farmers resist using the internet. Farmers can’t afford the cost of smartphones or data plans. Imagine how much these farmers are missing out on the digital innovation opportunities to grow their yield and income! Hence, it becomes imperative to connect the unconnected farmers and level the playing field for them. Here are some ways to make this possible:

A majority of the farmers in the world are smallholder farmers. It is estimated that there are over 608 million family farms, occupying 70–80% of the world’s farmland and producing around 80% of the world’s food in value terms. They are the driving force to achieve food security. Unfortunately, they do not receive adequate financial, technological, and other assistance at the pre-production and post-production levels to optimize the quality and quantity of yield. The aggregation model holds the power to flip this scenario. It enables smallholder farmers to form a cooperative, collective, or federation to produce, distribute, and market together for achieving economies of scale. This model can provide a structure to the input and output market, which is currently fragmented. Fundamentally, aggregation brings several smallholder farmers together to commercialize at a large scale which otherwise would be challenging for them on a standalone basis.