However, interviews suggested that when given the opportunity, women demonstrate strong repayment patterns. For instance, women are more reliable credit borrowers as they are 10% more likely to repay the equated monthly instalment on time than male borrowers.33 This is attributed to strong repayment discipline and financial management skills developed through self-help groups (SHGs). Similarly, women-led farmers’ producer organizations (FPOs) show greater financial independence, with fewer women needing to borrow money from their households to cover the share capital (22% vs 40% in the non-access programme comparison).34 Further, women FPO leaders are often recognized for their careful accounting and risk management practices, which make them more mindful of debt and lead to more practical decision-making skills. Higher repayment rates and better credit behaviour among women can reduce the risks for financial institutions and investors who are either funding agritech companies or providing loans to women adopting agritech services.Women farmers are more responsive and responsible towards capacity-building initiatives Women farmers often demonstrate greater responsiveness to agricultural interventions compared to their male counterparts. They are interested in understanding the “know-how” during training sessions. Most of the respondents interviewed for the study agreed women bring a unique blend of curiosity, discipline and sincerity to their work, making them efficient and committed partners. Due to these attributes, agritech companies can benefit from working with women farmers. Working with women is critical to being a truly rural brand Market entry into rural settings often requires building trust and credibility. As a result, several agritech companies believe that to ease market entry and become a rural brand, they must work with women farmers. This strategic approach allows companies to strengthen their brand identity, scale across rural areas and eventually reduce the costs of marketing and customer acquisition.2 3 Yara India, a crop nutrition company, produces high-quality fertilizers and gives best-practice advice to people working with fertilizers in the supply chain and as end users. They have developed innovative mobile applications aimed at enhancing agricultural practices. The YaraConnect app is designed specifically for retailers selling Yara products, featuring a reward-based loyalty programme that incentivizes sales and provides access to expert farming knowledge. This app enables retailers to better serve farmers, facilitating a more efficient agricultural ecosystem. Yara FarmCare app supports farmers directly by offering tools such as a fertilizer calculator, a digital leaf colour chart for assessing crop nitrogen status and hyperlocal weather forecasts. These features are intended to improve farming efficiency, optimize resource use and ultimately enhance crop yields. Their capacity-building programmes have revealed that female farmers are more responsive to training. They are meticulous, open and genuinely interested in learning about new products/solutions. Based on these observations, Yara believes that investing in women farmers can be instrumental to a more inclusive agriculture ecosystem, making them promising customers for their products.CASE STUDY 1 Yara India’s perspective on working with women At Yara, our business strategy centres on collaborating with proactive and responsive farmers and partnering with women farmers presents a significant opportunity to expand our agritech solutions. From our experience, women farmers tend to be more responsive compared to their male counterparts. By providing targeted capacity-building training and access to technology, we can enhance our business operations and boost women’s participation and impact within the agritech sector. Sanjiv Kanwar, Managing Director, Yara India Agritech for Women Farmers: A Business Case for Inclusive Growth 16

Agritech for Women Farmers 2024