case study on agricultural products

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Case Studies & Stories

Stories from ghi members.

Access to Mechanization Is a Path to Productivity in Nigeria

Member Story: John Deere

Nigeria is rich in agricultural resources. Its land, rainfall and climate make it an African agricultural powerhouse. Total cereal production has steadily increased from 7.8 million tons in 1960 to 25 million tons in 2016.1 Even with its oil resources, agriculture is the base of the nation’s economy and the…

Winning the Race Against Time: Getting Nutritious Tomatoes from Farm to Plate

Member Story: Monsanto Company / Bayer AG

The tomato is one of the most important vegetables in the world. It contains essential vitamins and minerals and is also a key source of lycopene, which has anti-oxidant properties and can help protect against heart disease and cancer. Yet in many developing countries, getting fresh healthy produce such as…

Harvesting Zinc for Healthy Soils, Crops and People

Member Story: The Mosaic Company

Micronutrient deficiency, or hidden hunger, is a lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet and is a devastating form of malnutrition.  Two billion people are afflicted, including half of the world’s children under the age of five.1 Zinc deficiency is a particularly debilitating condition that causes premature birth, cognitive…

Partnerships to Boost Crop Quality and Productivity

Member Story: Corteva™ Agriscience

Ms.Velma Okaron, Research Assistant, Biotechnology Lab ICRISAT Kenya, conducts research on sorghum, millet and groundnuts for nutrition and income security. Photo credit: ©ICRISAT While sorghum and millets have great potential to transform the health, nutrition and livelihoods of farmers and consumers, barriers exist to their greater use as high-value food…

Can Pork Be Produced Sustainably? Yes!

Member Story: Smithfield Foods

Private-sector investment, innovation and scale is helping more farmers and ranchers shift to lower-carbon production systems. Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest hog producer and pork processor, led the protein industry as the first to announce an ambitious greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goal throughout its entire supply…

Crop Innovation Supports Climate-Smart Agriculture in Latin America

Latin America is home to nearly one-third of the world’s arable land and fresh water, making it a vital global agricultural breadbasket in the coming decades.1   The region is already a leading contributor to the global food system; Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay (ABPU) together are the largest net exporters…

Artificial Intelligence: A More Precise Green Revolution

The next revolution in precision agriculture has arrived.  New technology is customizing the already efficient gains in modern agriculture to move to individual plant and animal precision management.  In crop production, this exciting development is being made possible by applying the advanced technology of artificial intelligence to…

A Leader in Animal Care

Healthy animals raised with good animal welfare practices result in safe, wholesome, high quality meat, dairy and poultry products. A commitment to transparency and access to information about production practices can help bridge the “trust gap” between farmers, processors and consumers today. For many years, the standard practice of pork…

Research Partnerships for More and Better Maize

A multi-stakeholder partnership between a CGIAR center, CIMMYT (The International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center), the U.S. Agency for International Development, and Corteva Agriscience™, the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is focused on fighting a deadly…

Stewardship for Sustainable Rice and Wildlife

Rice is the world’s most widely consumed grain, sustaining nearly half the global population.  Nearly half of the rice produced in the United States is exported; with 3.15 million acres under rice production (2016)1, rice growers are stewards of wetlands used by North America’s waterfowl and 32 other at-risk species.

Partnerships for Healthy Productive Soils

Since 2008, The Mosaic Company, The Mosaic Company Foundation and implementing partner, the S M Sehgal Foundation, has worked with farmers in Rajasthan, India, to improve the health of their soils and the productivity of three crops: pearl millet, wheat and…

Stories on Agricultural Productivity and R&D

Doubling Agricultural Productivity Is The Right Goal

The previous 10 years have witnessed unprecedented demand for agricultural commodities, driven by income increases and population growth in China and India, as well as demand for biofuels stimulated by high energy prices. OECD and FAO attribute the decline in the rate of food demand growth to moderating rates of…

Productivity for Sustainable Milk Production

India is already the world’s largest fresh dairy producer, but it will need to increase its annual milk production by 56 million tons in the next 10 years to meet domestic demand. India already has 90 million dairy cows and buffalo, but their milk productivity is very low. Dairy cows…

The Agricultural Business Cycle: Managing Through the Booms and Busts

The ups and downs of the global economy, along with local and regional boom and bust cycles affect the agriculture sector and continue to impact farmers and other agri-food system participants, regardless of scale. Since 1900, real agricultural commodity prices have fallen, while world population growth has more than quadrupled…

Out of the Lab, On to the Farm

TFP, as measured at the country, regional or global level, increases when there is widespread adoption of an innovative technology or practice. Agricultural extension systems provide the link between public research and farmers, enabling them to understand and adopt innovation to benefit their business operations, the natural resources they manage,…

Revving Up Research in the U.S. Farm Bill

In 2018, the reauthorization of the U.S. Farm Bill brings opportunity to rev up the research funding and structure for strengthening the United States global leadership for productive sustainable food systems. Thanks to research, carrots, onions, garlic and cucumbers taste better and contain more nutrients. And better crop yields and…

Stories from Africa

Participatory Research Helps the Chickpea Boom in Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, chickpea is one of the most important foods and the country is considered a secondary center of genetic diversity for the legume. With a near doubling of the population from 92 million today to 160 million in 2050, chickpea demand is expected to boom. Farmer takes chickpea to…

Bringing More Data and More Sustainability to Smallholder Farmers

In many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, smallholder farmers have a particularly hard time accessing information that would help their growing practices and help them supply markets with their goods. Yet, smallholder farmers produce nearly 80 percent of food for their communities and countries and need new technologies…

Urban and Informal Food Systems

By 2050, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in cities. This has generated renewed calls for the private sector, particularly the finance industry, to invest in and support small and medium-scale enterprises (SME) in the food value chain.1 In the near term, medium-scale producers, or consortiums of small-scale producers,…

Social Protection Programs for Productive Resilient Farmers

For subsistence and small-scale producers, income instability is one of the greatest obstacles to increasing the productivity and profitability of their agricultural enterprises. In Zambia, farmers cultivating less than 5 hectares of land rely on wage labor, such as working on larger farms or in processing facilities, for their main…

As an international financial institution working to alleviate rural poverty, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has provided $18.5 billion in grants and low-interest loans to projects since 1978 that have reached about 464 million people.  To address challenges  of youth development throughout many of its country programs, IFAD…

The Early App Gets the (Fall Army) Worm

One of the most important stages in the battle to suppress fall armyworm is early detection and early action.  Yet, many African farmers are unfamiliar with the pest, especially in the early stages, when it is hard to detect. A Tanzanian cassava farmer, left, learns to use a plant disease…

Stories from Asia

China Ramps Up Peri-Urban Farming for Beijing Consumers

Many Chinese farms today are still quite small (on average less than 0.6 hectares of land per household) and provide low qualities of life for Chinese farmers. But China’s agri-food system has begun transforming over the past 30 years from a traditional, smallholder-based production system to a more modern form…

Diversification for Resilience in Vietnam

Vietnam is the world’s second largest rice exporter, but rice productivity and output are threatened by climate change. Since 1985, the sea water level in the Mekong River Basin has risen by an average of three millimeters annually, spreading further inland and impacting a wider area each year. With its…

The “Golden Girls and Sunny Boys” of Bangladesh Stand Up for Adolescent Nutrition

Partner Story: GAIN

Today’s adolescents aged 10-24 years represent the largest cohort (1.8 billion) in human history, and about 90 percent live in less-developed countries.1 Adolescents have generally been overlooked in global and social health policy but have recently been given significant attention.2 However, there are limited data on adolescent nutrition, preventing a…

Stories from Latin America and the Caribbean

New irrigation management strategies for avocados in the Caribbean

Although small in size, the Dominican Republic (DR) has an abundance of avocado orchards, with nearly 55,000 acres of avocado trees mostly targeted for export to the United States and Europe.  According to the Dominican Ministry of Agriculture, the country produces 634,000 tons of avocados every…

Moove over Cows; Goats Got my Dairy!

Partner Story: IICA

Moving the Trinidad and Tobago Dairy Goat Industry from Farm to Market Goats are an ideal farming option for smallholder farmers living in challenging climates. They convert plant material into milk and meat with an efficiency that makes them an appropriate and practical livelihood, especially for rural farm families. They…

Healthy Agricultural Systems: A New Model for Agriculture and the Environment in Latin America

Partner Story: The Nature Conservancy

Because of its enormous potential to increase agricultural production while satisfying rising demand for food and keeping pantries stocked the world over, Latin America is critical for global food security over the next few decades.  Already an agricultural powerhouse, the continent provides 60 percent of the world’s imported soybeans, 44…

Partnerships Promote Safe Food and Reliable Trade Systems

As global food trade increases, governments need food safety and inspection systems to protect consumers from food-borne illnesses. The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011 is the most significant reform of the U.S. food safety infrastructure in 70 years. This landmark legislation shifts the focus of the U.S.

Stories from the U.S.

Consumers are Nuts for Nuts!

Consumption of this nutrient-dense food is growing globally, particularly in middle- and upper-income countries.1 The U.S. tree nut industry (as a whole) is a net exporter.  Almond, walnut, pistachio and hazelnut orchards in the U.S. depends on exports for more than 50 percent of sales.2 Most of these orchards are…

Good Nutrition is a SNAP

Economic recovery from the Great Recession has come slowly to low-income people and children living in poor households continue to be vulnerable to food insecurity.  Three million households containing children lacked the resources to provide sufficient food or enough quality food sometime during the last year.1 The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance…

Consumers Seek Health and Environmental Benefits by Purchasing Plant-Based Food and Beverage Products

American consumers spent $1.6 billion on plant-based beverages and foods as substitutes for milk and dairy products, (August 2017 to June 2018), a 20 percent increase over the previous year.)1 Improvements in taste, a wider variety of offerings and reduced prices have helped spur sales of this category of plant-based…

America’s Disappearing Farm and Range Land

U.S. agricultural land is some of the most productive and expensive in the world. More than 31 million acres of U.S. agricultural land have been irrevocably lost to urban expansion since 1982 and an additional 175 acres of farm and ranchland are lost every hour to make way housing and…

A Legacy of Conservation and Success

Enactment of the Soil Conservation Act of 1935, at the mid-point of the Dust Bowl era, launched the U.S. conservation system and created the Soil Conservation Service (SCS). By 1938, thanks to new farming practices such as terracing, contouring and cover crop planting, soil stopped blowing away on 65 percent…

Read about additional Partnerships for Productivity and Sustainability in Africa from recent editions of the GAP Report®

Eugenia Saini is currently FONTAGRO’s Executive Secretary. FONTAGRO is the Regional Fund for Agricultural Technology. She leads the investment fund and a portfolio of 70 international operations related to science, technology, and innovation for the Latin America and the Caribbean region. She is from Argentina and is an agronomist by training. She holds a doctorate in agricultural sciences, specializing in total factor productivity analysis. One of her seminal works in this field was the estimation of 120 years of TFP for the agricultural sector in Argentina. She is also a National Public Accountant and holds an MS in Food and Agribusiness and an MS in Applied Economics, both from Universidad de Buenos Aires. She has worked in the private and public sectors, both nationally and internationally, especially in multilateral banks. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship at Cornell University and, more recently, with the Abshire-Inamori Leadership Academy (AILA) Scholarship at the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C.

Jessica Agnew holds a Ph.D. in Planning, Governance, and Globalization from Virginia Tech, specializing in International Development Planning. She also holds a Master of Public Health from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science in Food, Agriculture, and Resource Economics from the University of Guelph. As the managing editor for the Global Agricultural Productivity (GAP) Report® and co-lead of the GAP Initiative at Virginia Tech, she draws on a decade of experience working in emerging agricultural sectors and developing resilient, nutritious food systems to advocate for sustainable productivity growth. In addition to her role with the GAP Initiative, she serves as the Associate Director for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Global Programs at Virginia Tech. Agnew also has an active research portfolio on innovation for improving access to safe and nutritious foods through agri-food value chains and equitable markets and deploying digital technologies for agricultural sector transformation.

Thomas L. (Tom) Thompson is Associate Dean and Director of Global Programs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. CALS Global builds partnerships, drives thought leadership, and creates opportunities for students and faculty to serve globally. Thompson earned BS, MS, and PhD degrees in agronomy and soil science. He was department head at Virginia Tech (2011-16) and Texas Tech University (2006-11) and professor and extension specialist at the University of Arizona from 1991 to 2006. Thompson is also a Professor of Agronomy and has published more than 60 refereed journal articles and garnered more than $7 million in extramural funding. His recent research and outreach have focused on the adoption of conservation agriculture in smallholder farming systems in Haiti, Senegal, and Southeast Asia. He has mentored graduate students from Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. Under his leadership, the Global Agricultural Productivity Report (GAP Report) was awarded to Virginia Tech in 2019. The GAP Report tracks global trends in agricultural productivity and is launched annually in Washington, DC. Thompson has completed LEAD21 and the Food Systems Leadership Institute, two nationwide leadership development programs. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America.

Paul Spencer joined Corteva Agriscience in January 2019 and is the Global Trade Policy Advocacy Leader. He provides strategic counsel to the company’s business platforms on a range of trade policy issues, including plant breeding innovations, biotechnology asynchronous approvals, low-level presence, and pesticide maximum residue levels.

Paul represents Corteva externally on the the U.S. Grains Council’s Trade Policy Advisory Team, the National Grain and Feed Association’s Crop Technology Committee and the CropLife America Trade Steering Group. He is currently the Chairman of the BIO Innovation Organization’s Agriculture International Working Group.  Mr. Spencer began his career with the Department of Agriculture in 1993. From 2010-14, he was Agricultural Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin and was responsible for USDA programs and policies in Austria, Hungary, and Germany. He has also served at U.S. Embassies in Baghdad, Tokyo, and Vienna.

Mr. Spencer holds an MBA in International Business from the Thunderbird School of Global Management and a degree in Economics from Colorado State University. He is married to Sandy MacGregor and they have three children, Grace, Forrest, and John.

Brady J. Deaton was Chancellor of the University of Missouri 2004-2013 and now serves in emeritus status and as Director of the Deaton Institute for University Leadership in International Development at Missouri. He was appointed Chair of BIFAD by President Obama in 2011 and reappointed to a four-year term as a member of BIFAD in January 2016-2020 by President Obama.

He has worked in many countries to strengthen their capacity for agricultural and economic development, and has received three honorary degrees from universities in Thailand and Korea, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Kentucky. He was elected to the Missouri Cooperatives Hall of Fame. In 2014, he received the Missourian Award and in 2015 was named to the Alumni Hall of Fame of the University of Kentucky.

Deaton served as chair of the Academic Affairs Council of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and participates in advisory roles with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He completed a two-year term as chair of the Missouri Council on Public Higher Education and was chair of the Big 12 Conference Board of Directors. He served as a Board member of the National Foundation of Credit Counselors and is currently a Board member of the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and Board member of the Soybean Innovation Lab.

He is a recipient of the Malone Award from the APLU for furthering international education in public higher education, was a member of the board of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center throughout his time as Chancellor, and served on the International Committee of the Association of American Universities (AAU). During April, 2014 and in 2015, Deaton served as a “Distinguished Guest in Residence” at New York University.

Alexis Taylor is an Iowa native, with a career focused on U.S. agricultural and trade policy.  Prior to her appointment as Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Alexis was appointed by Oregon Governor Kate Brown as director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) in December 2016. As director, she worked to promote and regulate agriculture and food, keeping the mission to ensure healthy natural resources, environment, and economy for Oregonians now and into the future at the forefront. 

Prior to Alexis’ appointment, she oversaw the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services (FFAS). While traveling the world she worked to open new markets and improve the competitive position of U.S. agricultural products in the marketplace. Before joining USDA, Alexis worked for several U.S. Congressman, staffing members from Montana and her home state.  

Alexis is a graduate of Iowa State University and grew up on her family farm in Iowa, which has been in her family for 160 years. While still in high school, she enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves. During her junior​ year in college her army unit was deployed to Iraq, where she served one tour with the 389th Combat Engineer Battalion. While no longer an active reservist, Alexis continues to advocate for veterans.​​​​​​​​​​​​

With a background in industrial engineering and economic development, Sergio Rivas began his career in international development 22 years ago. His work in the industry includes roles as Contracts Officer Representative, Senior Director, Chief of Party, Country Representative, Board Member, donor, and volunteer on both public and private sector engagements.

For the past 15 years, Rivas has worked for Tanager’s parent company, ACDI/VOCA, in various senior leadership roles, most recently as Regional Managing Director in Honduras. From 2012-2016 he served as Tanager’s Country Representative in Colombia where he got to know the organization, developing an enormous admiration for its work, its people, and its clients.

Rivas assumed the role of President of Tanager in 2022.

Adam van Opzeeland has served as New Zealand’s First Secretary for Agriculture Trade to the United States since July 2022. His responsibilities include managing the bilateral agriculture policy relationship, working with US counterparts to facilitate the bilateral trade of agriculture goods, and collaborating with the US and other partners to advance common agriculture and trade objectives in regional and multilateral fora. Prior to this role, Adam spent eight years representing the New Zealand Government in Free Trade Agreement negotiations and as a delegate to a range of United Nations Conventions and Organizations. He holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development from the University of Queensland.

Ruramiso Mashumba is a young female farmer from Marondera, Zimbabwe, and founder of Mnandi Africa, an organization that helps rural women combat poverty and malnutrition. She holds a BA Degree in Agriculture Business Management from the University of West England (UWE). Postgraduate Diploma in Management from Regent University, South Africa. She Is currently studying for an MBA in sustainable food and agriculture at the Royal Agriculture University in Cirencester, UK.

Rosalind (Roz) Leeck is the Executive Director for Market Access and Strategy as well as Northeast Asia Regional Director at the U.S. Soybean Export Council.  She oversees strategic program development and implementation including trade and market access issues; membership and industry relations; and communications and marketing efforts.  She is also the Regional Director for Northeast Asia responsible for Korea and Japan. 

Roz has more than 10 years of experience in the grain trade field with previous positions at Archer Daniels Midland Co. and Demeter L.P.  She has also worked for Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC), Indiana Soybean Alliance (ISA), and the Indiana State Department of Agriculture.

Roz has been involved in a number of industry activities and is currently serving on the Management Council of the International Grain Trade Coalition and as a cleared advisor and vice chair for the USDA and USTR Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade in Grains, Feeds, Oilseeds, and Planting Seeds.  Additionally, she serves on the Board of Trustees at Millikin University. Roz originally hails from southern Illinois where she remains a partner in her family’s grain and livestock farm.  She earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Economics from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, a Master of Business Administration from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana and a Master of Science in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.

Chris is the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Canola Council of Canada.   He is responsible for leading the efforts of the Council’s professional staff and reporting to the Board of Directors on securing the key objectives of the Canadian canola industry.

Chris first joined the Council in August 2021 as Vice President, Stakeholder and Industry Relations. Prior to joining the Council, Chris spent nearly 10 years with a global life sciences company serving as Head of Business Sustainability for North America and prior to that Head of Corporate Affairs for Canada.

Chris also spent several years on the consulting side of the agri-food industry working in government and industry relations, corporate communications and public affairs to advance issues and opportunities at the global, regional, national and sub-national levels for a diverse set of private sector and association clients.

Earlier in his career, Chris worked for the Canadian federal government on animal health, plant health, and food safety related issues in support of Canadian bilateral and multilateral trade relationships and negotiations.

Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin joined the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) as the executive director in August 2022.

Chapotin is a plant scientist who is passionate about sharing the importance of plants and agriculture. She has more than 15 years of experience in federal leadership, using science to inform policy and advancing agriculture research. Most recently, Chapotin served as the executive director of the  United States Botanic Garden  (USBG), a position she held from 2018 to 2022.

Prior to her role at USBG, Chapotin worked at the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for over 11 years. She held multiple positions at USAID, serving as the deputy assistant administrator in USAID’s Bureau for Food Security. Earlier in her career, Chapotin completed fellowships at Iowa State University and the National Academies working on issues of biosafety policy, scientific communication and national security. She further conducted research on forest ecology and canopy biology throughout the United States, Madagascar and Costa Rica.

Chapotin holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Stanford University and a doctorate in plant physiology from Harvard University.

Dan Blaustein-Rejto is the Director of Food & Agriculture at the Breakthrough Institute where he leads work examining how public policy can support environmentally and socially beneficial innovation across the food system. Dan has led multi-stakeholder projects to identify technical options to decarbonize agriculture, assess federal policy gaps and opportunities, and build coalitions to advance climate-smart agriculture. Dan has written for Foreign Policy and MIT Technology Review, among other publications. He and his work have been cited in Bloomberg, LA Times, Agri-Pulse, Beef Magazine, and other outlets.

Tek Sapkota Leads the Climate Change Science group in CIMMYT and is a member of the Climate Investment Committee in OneCGIAR. His research interest includes analysis of cropping systems from food security climate change nexus. He is involved in studying management consequences on nutrient dynamics in agro-ecosystem and their effect on food security, climate change adaptation and mitigation. He has served in IPCC as Lead author as well as Review editor. He is an associate Editor of “Nature Scientific Report” and “Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems” journals. He is an Agricultural expert in the “India GHG platform” (http://ghgplatform-india.org/).

Paul Rennie was born in Edinburgh and educated at George Heriot’s School, before going on to graduate with an MA in Economics and Politics (Edinburgh University) and an MSc in Economics (York University). He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 2001 as the first of a new group of Diplomatic Service Economists. He has served at the United Nations (New York), Brazil, India and Malaysia, as well as working on secondment to the Cabinet Office and the Department for International Development. Paul currently serves as the Counsellor for the Global Issues, Economics and Trade Section at the British Embassy, Washington DC. Here he leads the UK’s climate and energy, economic and trade, and science and technology networks across the United States. Paul also speaks five languages (English, French, Dutch, Portuguese and Hindi)!

Christina is a seasoned communications professional with over 30 years’ experience, including 14 in international development. Her background in business development, communications and public relations fully informs her strategic communications initiatives at IFDC.

As Strategic Communications Manager for IFDC, she regularly collaborates with IFDC’s international project staff, partners, and donors to design and implement evidence-based strategic communications campaigns. She tells big stories about the Center’s work in soil health and plant nutrition, inclusive market systems, and innovative technologies for a food-secure and environmentally sustainable world.

Prior to joining IFDC, Christina was with the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA), serving as a technical writer and proposal manager in their International Division. As communications manager at Making Cents International, she developed and implemented project-level communications strategies, especially regarding youth development activities under USAID’s flagship YouthPower Learning project. While at URC as a communications specialist, she developed, executed, and monitored communications strategies to support corporate and project objectives, including creating and facilitating #GBVChat, an annual all-day conversation about ending gender-based violence that engaged 10,000+ unique participants in its first year, while standing up the organization’s social media platforms and story-telling strategies.

As Director of Communications at the Arab American Institute, she created and executed strategies for long-term advocacy as well as for fast-breaking crisis situations, including a daily analysis of the Gaza War (Operation Cast Lead) for media and AAI membership.

Pierre Petelle is the president and CEO of CropLife Canada, the trade association that represents the Canadian manufacturers, developers and distributors of pest control products and plants with novel traits. Pierre joined CropLife Canada in 2008 and is now responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of the association.

CropLife Canada’s goals include improving public confidence in our members’ technologies, facilitating a positive regulatory environment, ensuring proper stewardship of our industry’s products and building collaborative stakeholder relationships.

Prior to joining CropLife Canada, Pierre worked in the policy office at Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency where he worked on a wide range of issues relevant to Canada’s plant science industry. Pierre holds degrees from Carleton University and the University of Guelph.

Matthew Worrell currently represents Australia’s agriculture interests in the United States and works with colleagues in the Australian High Commission in Ottawa to progress bilateral agriculture issues with Canada. Matt has extensive experience in agriculture policy development and implementation, and international representation. Matt was based in Europe from 2012 to 2016 where he represented Australia’s interests at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Organisation for Economic Co–operation and Development. Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of New England and a master’s degree in public policy from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

Nikki Dutta, M.S., scientific program officer, advanced animal systems, Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. At the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), Ms. Nikki Dutta, is responsible for coordinating several multi- stakeholder collaborative initiatives designed to improve animal welfare and productivity, including the Greener Cattle Initiative, Egg- Tech Prize and the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship. Nikki earned her master’s degree from American University in sustainability management and studied international business and management at Dickinson College.

Sarah Brown serves as Head of Public Governmental Affairs Agricultural Solutions North America, based in Washington, DC. Sarah previously served as an Executive Director for the American Farm Bureau Federation. Sarah is a graduate of Cornell University, where she currently serves on an advisory board for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Mr. François Chrétien received his bachelor of sciences in agriculture from McGill University and his master’s degree in Water Sciences from the National Institute of Scientific Research. Following is graduated studies he has been involved in numerous water-focused initiatives throughout Canada and around the world. Within Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada he served as: Water Sourcing and Planning Specialist; Water Management Scientist; Chief of the water management team; before moving on to executive management as Director for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) living labs.

Since 2017, François has been responsible for the development of AAFC’s Living Laboratories Initiative aimed at building resilience in the agricultural landscape. François was also central to the development and implementation of AAFC’s new program, the Agricultural Climate Solutions program, that is establishing a national network of living labs right across Canada to tackle climate change issues. He has worked with multiple Canadian and international partners in order to develop this new approach to agricultural innovation, including the G20 working group on Agroecosystems living labs. Under François leadership, Canada has been paving the way to implement this user-centred approach where farmers and scientists work together from start to finish; where transdisciplinary teams, including experts from various disciplines and backgrounds, tackle a common issue together; and where projects are conducted in real life experimental setups meaning that working farms are the incubators of innovative technologies.

François has real, tangible experience in developing innovative solutions for a productive, sustainable and resilient agriculture sector.

Jocelyn Brown Hall is the Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Liaison Office for North America based in Washington, DC. Prior to this role she served as the Deputy Regional Representative for the FAO Regional Office for Africa, where she oversaw 47 FAO country offices and guided strategy and communications around food security, agriculture, climate change, agrifood trade, animal and plant health, among other topics. She has also served as the FAO Representative for Ghana, where she worked with ministries of agriculture, fisheries, social protection and trade on advancing issues such as healthy school meals, rehabilitating lands contaminated by illegal mining, sustainable aquaculture and fish smoking, and digitalization of agriculture data.

Before joining FAO, Jocelyn was Deputy Administrator in the Foreign Agricultural Service, where she led the USDA’s USD $2 billion food and technical assistance programs in low- and middle-income countries. She oversaw the world’s largest international school meals program, serving over 4 million school children globally, and numerous fellowship programs that served tens and thousands of agriculturalists.

She also served as the lead expert on USDA’s technical relationship with international organizations such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture, and various international research centers.

Dr. Elise H. Golan is the Director for Sustainable Development at the U. S. Department of Agriculture. In this role, she provides leadership in planning, coordinating, and analyzing the Department’s policies and programs related to sustainable agricultural development. Prior to taking this position, Dr. Golan served as the Associate Director of the Food Economics Division at the Economic Research Service, USDA. Before joining USDA, she did consulting work for, among others, the World Bank, the International Labor Organization, and the California Department of Finance. Elise served as a senior staff economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers from 1998-99. She received her Ph.D. in agricultural economics from the University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Golan’s research has spanned a wide range of sustainability issues, including land tenure and sustainable land management in the Sahel and West Africa; regional and U.S. food-system modeling; food labeling and market development; food access, affordability, and security; and the distributional consequences of food policy.

Keith Fuglie is a senior economist with the Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, where he conducts research on the economics of technological change and science policy for agriculture. While with the Federal Government, Keith has also worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau of Food Security and served as senior staff economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisors. In 2012 Keith was recognized with the USDA Secretary’s Honor Award for Professional Service, and in 2014 he received the Bruce Gardner Memorial Prize for Applied Policy Analysis from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association. Earlier in his career, Keith spent ten years with the International Potato Center (CIP) stationed in Indonesia and Tunisia, where he headed CIP’s social science research program and was regional representative for CIP in Asia. Keith received his M.S. and PhD in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota and a BA from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota.

Bob Fries is chief technical officer, overseeing our technical teams as they develop programmatic approaches, share best practices and technical products with projects overseas, and apply evidence to optimize the effectiveness and impact of our work. Bob is also president of AV Ventures, ACDI/VOCA’s subsidiary dedicated to blended finance and impact investment. He has engaged in the design and governance of 10 financial institutions affiliated with ACDI/VOCA, including AV Ventures. Prior to joining ACDI/VOCA in 1989, Bob was a volunteer in Belize and researcher of seasonal labor migration in Guatemala. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Boston College and a master’s degree in economic and social development from the University of Pittsburgh. Bob is proficient in Spanish and has contributed to Value Chains and Their Significance for Addressing the Rural Finance Challenge and Nature-Centered Tourism in Ecuador, published by USAID, Basic Guidelines for Effective Rural Finance Projects, published by the World Bank, and Making Rural Financial Institutions Sustainable, published by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dr. Canisius Kanangire is the Executive Director at AATF. He previously was the Executive Secretary of the African Ministers’ Council on Water. He has held other positions including, Executive Secretary of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission; Regional Manager for Capacity Building and Head of Strategic Planning and Management at the Nile Basin Initiative; Lecturer and Dean – Faculty of Agriculture, University of Rwanda.

He holds a PhD and MSc in Aquatic Sciences from the University of Namur (Belgium), a Degree in Biology majoring in Environmental Sciences, and an Undergraduate Certificate in Biology and Chemistry from the “Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Bukavu.

Andrés Rodríguez is the current Agricultural Attaché of Chile to the United States and Canada, based in Washington DC.

He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Diego Portales University (Chile), a Master’s Degree in Marketing from Griffith University (Queensland, Australia), and a Postgraduate Certificate in International Business from the University of Chile.

He has extensive experience in agribusiness. After his experience in other industries, he landed to the agriculture when he was appointed as Marketing Manager for the US and Latin America in the Chilean Fresh Fruit Exporters Association (ASOEX). Within his background he also was Executive Director of the Chilean Walnut Commission, Executive Director of Chile Prunes, and Representative in Chile of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), that currently is the International Fresh Produce Association. He was also Board Member and Counselor of the National Society of Agriculture (SNA) and was a member of the Food Export Council of Chile.

Stewart Leeth is chief sustainability officer for Smithfield Foods, Inc. Based at the company’s headquarters in Smithfield, Virginia, Leeth leads the company’s global sustainability strategies, which now focus on seven core pillars: animal welfare; diversity, equity and inclusion; environmental stewardship; food safety and quality; health and wellness; helping local communities and worker health and safety. He also leads Smithfield’s environmental compliance programs.

Leeth joined Smithfield Foods’ legal department in 2008 and served in a variety of legal, regulatory and government affairs roles with the company before being appointed to his current position in 2016. Under his leadership, the company has announced several industry-first carbon reduction goals, met its commitment to move pregnant sows into group housing on company-owned farms and exceeded its goal to source feed from farms utilizing precision farming techniques that reduce fertilizer use in the company’s supply chain. More recently, Smithfield has reported substantial progress toward its original GHG reduction target and has adopted even greater climate targets, including a 30% GHG reduction goal under the Science Based Targets initiative and a pledge to become carbon negative in all U.S. company-owned operations by 2030.

Prior to joining Smithfield Foods, Leeth was a partner at a major global law firm, where he represented the firm’s clients before federal and state courts and agencies in matters involving major federal and state environmental statutes, water rights disputes, cost recovery and contaminated property litigation, rulemaking and permitting. He also focused on state and local government matters and land-use disputes.

Leeth previously served as Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, representing a variety of state agencies, and began his legal career working as a law clerk to a federal judge presiding in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Wei Zhang is an assistant professor in the department of agricultural and applied economics at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on the environmental and resource-use implications of agricultural production and the design of agri-environmental policy. Her ongoing research projects include climate change and agricultural productivity growth, benefits and costs of the USDA Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and on-farm loss and waste of vegetables in the United States.

A veterinarian, clinical pharmacologist, teacher, researcher, and distinguished academic leader, Dr. Cyril R. Clarke became the Executive Vice President and Provost of Virginia Tech in January 2019, after serving in an interim capacity since November 2017.

A native of Johannesburg, South Africa, Clarke earned his professional veterinary degree from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, a Ph.D. in veterinary pharmacology from Louisiana State University, and a master’s degree in higher education from Oklahoma State University. He is certified as a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology.

Clarke’s initial faculty appointment in 1987 was at Oklahoma State University, where he also served as an academic department head and associate dean for academic affairs in the Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. Funded by corporate, state, and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and National Institutes of Health, Clarke’s research focused on the interactions between antibacterial agents, animal patients, and infectious microbes. He is a recipient of the Pfizer Award for Research Excellence.

In 2007, Clarke was appointed to the position of Lois Bates Acheson Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University. During his time as dean, Clarke continued to teach pharmacology to veterinary students. In addition to receiving a Certificate of Excellence in Teaching, Clarke was honored with the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association’s President’s Award. He subsequently joined Virginia Tech in October, 2013, as Dean of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine.

Clarke has held leadership positions in several professional organizations, including the board of directors for the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and past president of the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology. He is also a past member of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board and the AVMA Council on Education, the accrediting agency for veterinary medical education in North America.

Dr. Jewel H. Bronaugh was appointed the 16th Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 2018 by Governor Ralph Northam. She previously served as the Virginia State Executive Director for the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe and then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, in July 2015. Prior to her FSA appointment, she served as Dean of the College of Agriculture at Virginia State University (VSU) with oversight of Extension, Research and Academic Programs. Previously she was the Associate Administrator for Extension Programs and a 4-H Extension Specialist.

In spring 2019, Dr. Bronaugh launched the Virginia Farmer Stress Task Force to raise awareness and coordinate resources to address farmer stress and mental health challenges in Virginia. In the fall of 2020, she helped establish the Virginia Food Access Investment Fund and Program, the first statewide program of its kind to address food access within historically marginalized communities.

Dr. Bronaugh received her Ph.D. in Career and Technical Education from Virginia Tech. She is passionate about the advancement of youth leadership in agriculture. Dr. Bronaugh is from Petersburg, Virginia. She is married to Cleavon, a retired United States Army Veteran.

Ally Okeyo Mwai is Principal Scientist in the ILRI’s Global Livestock Genetics- Live Gene Research Program. Okeyo is a quantitative geneticist with over 30 years of experience in practical design and implementation of livestock improvement programs in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia regions. Okeyo has in the past led ILRI’s Breeding strategies Research, specifically focusing on development and implementation projects, covering a wide range of research areas including, characterization and genetic diversity of indigenous tropical livestock; their improved utilization, as well as development and application of assisted reproductive technologies in dairy cattle. Prior to joining ILRI, he was head of the Animal Breeding and Genetics Section at the Department of Animal Production, University of Nairobi and Coordinator of Small Ruminant Research Program at the then Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research organization. Okeyo has and holds several national and international advisory board positions. He is currently leading the development of ILRI led dairy cattle genetic gain development and research programs in eastern Africa region. Okeyo has published extensively (authored and co-authored more than 150 scientific journal and conference papers), and has held several scientific editorials, and national and international advisory board positions. Okeyo holds MSc Animal Science (Animal Genetics) from University of California, Davis and a PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics from University of Nairobi.

Nancy W. Mungai  is a professor of soil science with research interests in biological nitrogen fixation in grain legumes, biological agricultural inputs, and relevance of soil-based approaches for adaptation & mitigation to climate change. She has successfully coordinated twelve research projects and several student internship programs. Nancy is currently involved in a project titled “Transforming African Agricultural Universities to meaningfully to contribute to Africa’s growth and development ( TAGDev ) a partnership of Egerton university with  Gulu Univers ity funded by  Mastercard Foundation  through  RUFORUM . The project has supported over 110 undergraduate and 110 postgraduate students to pursue various agricultural related disciplines including agronomy, horticulture, agribusiness and food nutrition and security. TAGDev has piloted an innovative model for agricultural training that facilitates agricultural students to work closely with rural communities to foster food system transformation. Community action research approaches have been at the center of TAGDev project implementation.

Nancy is also a member of a research consortium lead by Michigan State University dubbed “Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Rural Economic Transformation (SAIRET+)” that is developing longer term proposal to support increased agricultural productivity through sustainable fertilizer use in Africa.

Nancy has supervised over 20 graduate students and has published 72 publications in internationally refereed and peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings and technical reports.

Administratively, Nancy is the Ag. Director in charge of Research and Extension at Egerton University since March 2020. Previously she served as the Director in charge of undergraduate studies and field attachment programs for 9 years.

Dr. Jason Grant is the W.G. Wysor Professor of Agriculture and Director of the Center for Agricultural Trade at Virginia Tech. Dr. Grant joined the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics in 2007, after completing his Ph.D. at Purdue University. Dr. Grant has built an internationally recognized program in agricultural markets and trade at Virginia Tech, which includes planning and developing the annual Governor’s Conference on Agricultural Trade through a partnership with four other State agencies across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dr. Grant is passionate about teaching students to be “job ready” and thinking “globally” as they enter careers in agricultural industries.  His research investigates key trends in global markets shaping U.S. commodity production and export, including the impacts of trade disputes, retaliatory trade actions, SPS issues, Codex food safety standards, competitive regionalism, and adaptation to extreme climate events. He has previously served as guest editor of Choices, leading a team of USDA policymakers and academics to assess the economic impacts of the 2018/19 trade dispute and retaliatory trade actions impacting U.S. agriculture. In 2021, this work was recognized by the American Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) for the profession’s outstanding Choices article award for outreach contribution. In 2020, he was the recipient of USDA’s Bruce Gardner Award for outstanding contributions by an outside Economist shaping U.S. government programs and policies, and has previously been the recipient of the AAEA’s Honorable Mention award for Outstanding Journal Article; the European Agricultural Economics Association’s Quality of Policy Contribution Award for his work on international trade agreements; and the 2018 APEX award from Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural Economics which recognizes outstanding contributions by an alumni. Dr. Grant currently serves as associate editor of the American Journal of Agricultural Economics .

Florah joined Farm Input Promotions Africa (FIPS) just after college, in 2013 as a monitoring and evaluation officer.

After two years, she was promoted to lead training, which included development of training curriculums and deploying the curriculum to farmers and trainers of trainers.

Florah has also coordinated programs within FIPS such as youth work and potato work.

Currently, she leads the partnership development work that includes developing new relationships, developing ideas for funding, and maintaining existing relationships, among other roles.

Folu serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Hello Tractor, responsible for shaping, executing and measuring the organization’s growth strategy and operations. Prior to joining Hello Tractor in 2019, Folu served as Senior Manager at Accenture focused on defining and implementing large-scale transformational process improvement solutions, primarily within the financial services sector. Folu’s experience extends to driving agricultural systems change at the NEPAD Business Foundation, specifically within the continental agriculture program (CAADP). Folu holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Cape Town (specializing in Leadership and Doing Business in Africa) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis. Folu’s professional interests lie at the intersection of macroeconomic growth, impact entrepreneurial empowerment, strategic organizational alignment, and technology-led social innovations.

Tim Njagi is a seasoned Development Economist with a wealth of 15 years of experience in the fields of development planning, policy implementation and research. He holds a PhD in Development Economics and Master’s Degree in International Development from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Japan.

He has experience working in the public sector having worked with the National Treasury and Planning in Kenya and is currently a Fellow with Tegemeo Institute of Agricultural Policy and Development of Egerton University.

His current research focus is on farm productivity, technology adoption, irrigation, governance, resilience and impact evaluation., irrigation, credit, governance, land issues, and resilience, where he has a number of publications.

He is also a member of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE), African Association of Agricultural Economics (AAAE), African Evaluation Association (AfREA), Evaluation Society of Kenya (ESK), and the Institute of Economic Affairs (EIA) in Kenya.

He aspires to make a significant contribution towards addressing food insecurity and poverty in developing countries.

Isaac Kibwage is currently the Vice-Chancellor of Egerton University. He has variously initiated and/or guided development and implementation of the strategic plan for 2018-2023 and policies of the University.

Isaac Kibwage is on leave of absence from the University of Nairobi where he serves as a Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in the School of Pharmacy. He has published widely in his discipline.

During May 2007- May 2017, Isaac Kibwage served as the Principal of College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi where he was the Academic Research, Financial and Administrative head of the college. The College comprises the Schools of; Medicine, Pharmacy, Dental Siences, Nursing Sciences and Public Health, the University of Nairobi Institute of Tropical and Infectious Dieases, KAVI-Institute of Clinical Research, the East Africa Kidney Institute and the Centre for HIV/Aids Research and Prevention. He was responsible for all research activities at the College ensuring compliance to project objectives and prudent utilization of resources per approved budgets. Isaac Kibwage handled College responsibilities and guided its expansion and excellent performance culminating in it being awarded a Shield as ”Center of Excellence in the Health Sciences” by the East African Community in 2014. Further, research funding grew about four times and the College had a continuous level of ‘Excellent performance’ in performance contracting amongst the six colleges of the University.

Isaac Kibwage has held various positions in the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya including the Chairmanship for a period of 6 years. He has broad experience in the pharmaceutical regulatory systems locally and internationally, and specifically in the quality control and quality assurance of medicines. Due to his commitment and exemplary pharmaceutical services, Isaac Kibwage was awarded the “Head of State Commendation“ and the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya conferred on him the title of “Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of Kenya.”

Nassib Mugwanya is Manager of Global Partnerships – Agriculture Engagement & Activation at Bayer and leads the smallholder farmer engagement within the Global Stakeholders Affairs & Strategy Partnerships team. Prior to joining Bayer, Nassib worked with the National Agricultural Research Organization in Uganda, where he spent most of his time in educational and outreach engagements on biotechnology among smallholder farmers. Nassib has a background in agriculture, with a doctorate in agricultural extension and education from North Carolina State University, and a BSc and MSc in agriculture and extension education from Makerere University-Kampala.

Humphrey joined DuPont Pioneer in 2015 as a Marketing Leader for Eastern Southern Central Africa Region. In 2016, he was appointed the Commercial leader for Kenya responsible for the Pioneer and Pannar Seed brands.

In 2017, he was appointed to his current role as Country Leader/Director for Corteva Agriscience Kenya and Greatlakes Countries (Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi & DRC).

Prior to joining Pioneer, Humphrey worked at Syngenta AG for 10 years in various roles; Business Manager for Smallholder Segment, Marketing Manager Strategy and planning, Area Sales Manager amongst other roles.

Education Background:

Masters Business Administration (Strategic Management), The University of Nairobi.

Bachelor of Science Degree in Horticulture, Egerton University.

Benson Mutuku is development and humanitarian professional with over 13 years of experience working with INGOs, NGOs, the private sector, and government institutions. Benson has extensive experience in programmatic design, implementation, and technical advising of gender programs in Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition, Financial Inclusion & Economic Empowerment, Policy and Advocacy, and Education and Health. Benson has spearheaded and provided technical expertise in multi-country projects in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Djibouti, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Burundi, Zambia, Somalia, Ghana and Uganda. Benson has worked on various policy related initiatives and research activities. He is experienced in monitoring and evaluation hence providing oversight for a program’s planning, evaluation, knowledge management and monitoring. Benson is a seasoned trainer both at the community level as well as at the policy level, having engaged in capacity building processes across the country and beyond. Benson has basic French speaking skills. Benson is passionate about gender transformation at the local, national, regional, and other spheres of influence.

Tony Fernandes became Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Trade Policy and Negotiations in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs in March 2022, after having served as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary since August 2021.

Prior to that, Tony was Director of the Multilateral Trade Affairs Office in the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Previously, Tony was Director for Regional Affairs in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs and Director for Africa and Middle East Programs in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. He also served in the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Diplomatic Readiness Task Force, and the Operations Center. His overseas assignments include positions in Turkey, Nigeria, Russia, Canada, and China.

Tony joined the Foreign Service in 1997 and is a member of the Senior Foreign Service.

He holds a B.A. from Boston College, a J.D. from the University of Minnesota School of Law, and a Master’s in National Security Strategy from the National War College.

Karen Hulebak is a consultant working primarily on Codex Alimentarius matters. She has 20+ years of experience with Codex, having chaired the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene for 7 years, served as Vice Chair of the Commission for two terms (2005-2008) and as Chairperson of the Commission for two terms (2008-2011). Prior to her election as Codex Chairperson, she served as USDA/FSIS Chief Scientist, and as Assistant Administrator for the FSIS Office of Public Health Science. She has an Sc.D. in toxicology from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health.

Ann Steensland leads the GAP Report Initiative for CALS Global at the Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. In this role, she serves as the lead author of the Global Agricultural Productivity Report, or GAP Report, an annual analysis of global progress toward productive sustainable food and agricultural systems. Her research areas include sustainable approaches for increasing the productivity of small-scale agriculture, improving livelihoods for small-scale farmers, and connecting small-scale and emerging farmers to markets. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, Ms. Steensland was the Deputy Director of the Global Harvest Initiative and the Chief of Staff of the Alliance to End Hunger. Ms. Steensland has a B.A. in International Relations and an M.A. in African History. She was awarded the Lawrence Levine Prize for her M.A. thesis exploring racial, political, and environmental aspects of the commercialization of agriculture in South Africa.

Jim Gaffney is a general development officer in the Center for Agricultural Led Growth at USAID. an experienced professional in the seed and crop protection industry with a passion for developing strategy and for designing and driving collaborations to build scientific capacity and encourage appropriate regulatory policy. Prior to joining USAID, Dr. Gaffney worked at Corteva Agriscience for 10 years as Global Regulatory Strategy Lead. He has a strong personal commitment to enable technology for the benefit of farmers and society, with a deep and current understanding of the public and private sectors and for donor organization needs and opportunities. At Corteva, he developed global regulatory approval strategies by working closely with program leadership teams, regulatory science, and researchers to drive aggressive and predictable timelines to product advancement. Dr. Gaffney maintains a passion for agricultural development in Africa, borne from his days as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, Central Africa, and as a former farm kid. His family raised corn, soybeans, and hogs in southwest Minnesota.

Siboniso “Boni” Moyo is deputy director general for research and development at the International Livestock Research Institute. Between 2015 and 2016, she was program leader of ILRI’s animal science for sustainable productivity program. From 2006−2014, Dr. Moyo was ILRI’s regional representative in Southern Africa. She has 25 years’ experience conducting livestock research and development in Zimbabwe and southern Africa. Her fields of specialization include breed performance evaluation, livestock production systems, livestock research and management, and partnership development. Dr. Moyo has an MSc in animal husbandry from the Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow and a PhD in animal science from the University of Pretoria. Before joining ILRI she was National Director for Livestock Production and Development in Zimbabwe (2002–2005).

Jehiel Oliver is the founder and CEO of Hello Tractor, an innovative shared-economy platform that makes tractor usage affordable to marginalized farmers in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Oliver is responsible for the overall management of the Hello Tractor team, strategy, and partnerships. Prior to Hello Tractor, Jehiel founded Aya Consulting, a boutique development. At Aya he worked in over ten countries, including conflict zones. Through his work in agriculture and rural markets, Mr. Oliver recognized a real need for low-income (majority women) farmers to access affordable farm machinery, leading him to found Hello Tractor. In addition to his duties at Hello Tractor, Mr. Oliver also served on the board of H4H, Inc., an impact investment fund providing mortgage reinsurance for South African communities affected by HIV/AIDS. He also serves as board treasurer of Shared Interest, a loan guarantee fund for agriculture and financial sector development in sub-Saharan Africa. Mr. Oliver began his career in the U.S. investment banking and private equity industries.

Yield and total factor productivity are ratios of outputs to inputs, but they are not the same, and the distinction matters.

Yield measures output per unit of a single input, for example, the amount of crops grown on a hectare of land. Yields can increase through productivity growth, but they can also increase by applying more inputs, called input intensification. Therefore, an increase in yield may or may not represent improvements in sustainability.

Total factor productivity captures the interaction between multiple agricultural inputs and outputs. (Ortiz-Bobea et al., 2021) TFP growth indicates that more farmers generate more crops, livestock, and aquaculture products with the same amount or less land, labor, fertilizer, feed, machinery, and livestock. As a result, TFP is a powerful metric for evaluating and monitoring the sustainability of agricultural systems.

International Conference on Frontiers in Computing and Systems

COMSYS 2022: Proceedings of International Conference on Frontiers in Computing and Systems pp 13–21 Cite as

Analyzing Market Dynamics of Agricultural Commodities: A Case Study Based on Cotton

• Nikhila Korivi 14 ,
• Peteti Sravani 14 ,
• Jafar Ali 15 &
• C. C. Sobin 14  
• Conference paper
• First Online: 01 August 2023

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 690))

Market deregulation of agricultural commodities requires in-depth analysis of day-to-day transactions. The analysis helps to draw greater insights into the market dynamics and builds better policies and advisory system for the farming sector. Reformation to the agricultural commodity market impel to deregulation of market transactions and increasing digitalization of transactions for better transparency across markets. These government policies have been taken based on the need of increasing farmer’s income from farming activities. These policy decisions give farmers immense opportunities for better realization of their farm outputs. To achieve the objective, there is an inevitable need for analyzing the market dynamics to draw better insights from the transactions. Also, farmers face massive loss due to these uncertain fluctuations in the price of agricultural commodities. Price prediction models can help farmers in making necessary decisions and help them in reducing the loss caused by price fluctuations. In this paper, we have chosen cotton as a commodity in which the price and volume of cotton over seven years from the Adoni market in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, which is one of the largest cotton markets in the country market in Andhra Pradesh. The data consist of daily prices and volume of transactions of 7 years starting from 2011 to 2017. We have used machine learning techniques such as the ARIMA model for predicting the prices of cotton.

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Nikhila Korivi, Peteti Sravani & C. C. Sobin

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Korivi, N., Sravani, P., Ali, J., Sobin, C.C. (2023). Analyzing Market Dynamics of Agricultural Commodities: A Case Study Based on Cotton. In: Sarkar, R., Pal, S., Basu, S., Plewczynski, D., Bhattacharjee, D. (eds) Proceedings of International Conference on Frontiers in Computing and Systems. COMSYS 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 690. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2680-0_2

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, marketing of agricultural products: case findings.

British Food Journal

ISSN : 0007-070X

Article publication date: 1 November 2002

This article focuses on the relationship marketing approach to marketing of agricultural products. The article provides specific insights into, and comparisons between, suppliers of two particular agricultural products sectors: in Britain, the fresh produce (fruits and vegetables) sector and, in New Zealand, the wine sector. The article examines the nature of marketing relationships from the perspective of the suppliers in these sectors and their relationships, networks, and interactions with importers and retail buyers in the food and beverage industry. The research methodology is qualitative and inductive in nature and utilises multiple cases. Interpretation is first through content analysis of each individual case in order to identify important themes, clusters, and patterns in the research data and secondly through across‐case analysis. Investigated marketing issues include the following: nature of relationship marketing, implementation of relationship marketing, and monitoring and measurement of relationship marketing.

• Agriculture
• Marketing strategy
• Relationship marketing
• Research methods

Hingley, M. and Lindgreen, A. (2002), "Marketing of agricultural products: case findings", British Food Journal , Vol. 104 No. 10, pp. 806-827. https://doi.org/10.1108/00070700210448908

Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited

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Optimizing the Agricultural Supply Chain through E-Commerce: A Case Study of Tudouec in Inner Mongolia, China

Associated data.

The data presented in this study are available within the article.

E-commerce has the potential to address problems in the agricultural supply chain and support the implementation of rural revitalization strategies. Previous research has largely focused on the business models of rural e-commerce platforms, but has not examined the mechanisms by which they can optimize and reconfigure the agricultural supply chain. This study aims to fill this gap through a case study of Tudouec, a potato e-commerce platform in Inner Mongolia, China. The study employs a single-case study method and utilizes data from interviews, fieldwork, and secondary sources. The findings show that Tudouec is a multi-functional platform offering technical support, warehousing, logistics, supply chain finance, and insurance, among other services. It not only serves as a multi-channel information management platform, but also enhances supply chain capabilities through the interaction of information flow with capital and material flows. This rural e-commerce model addresses the limitations of traditional agricultural models and promotes poverty reduction and rural revitalization. The study’s main contribution is in demonstrating the potential for the Tudouec model to be applied to other agricultural products and in other developing countries.

1. Introduction

Since the implementation of the reforming and opening up policies in China, there has been a marked disparity in the rate of development between rural and urban regions [ 1 ]. Imbalanced urban–rural development, and a lack of progress in rural areas, have become major issues in contemporary Chinese society [ 2 ]. In response to these pressing rural challenges, China introduced the rural revitalization strategy in 2017, which places a particular emphasis on the growth of agriculture, rural regions, and farmers [ 3 , 4 ].

The Agricultural Supply Chain (ASC) is considered to play a critical role in farmers’ income, rural economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability, as demonstrated by numerous studies [ 5 , 6 ]. Despite its importance, ASC management is considered to be challenging when compared to other industries. This can be attributed to a number of factors, one of which is the sensitivity of agriculture to natural influences, such as weather conditions, regional climatic differences, soil quality, and seasonal variations [ 7 ]. Additionally, agricultural markets tend to be unstable and highly susceptible to economic and financial fluctuations, including changes in market supply and demand conditions, distribution channels, and harvest periods [ 8 ]. This high level of uncertainty in agriculture poses significant risks to ASC management [ 9 ], including difficulties in Supply Chain Management (SCM), due to environmental variability [ 10 ], long chains affecting quality consistency levels of agricultural products [ 11 ], and the dependence of agricultural production on the environment, as well as high distribution costs, due to the perishable nature of agricultural products [ 12 ]. These factors can significantly impact agricultural development and farmers’ income [ 13 ].

The proliferation of information and communication technology, particularly the growing prevalence of e-commerce in developing nations, such as China, and nations in Southeast Asia and Africa, has resulted in significant improvement in rural economies [ 12 ]. Rural e-commerce is regarded as a key factor in reducing the disparity between urban and rural areas, and in boosting the income of rural dwellers [ 14 ]. Adoption of e-commerce enables small-scale farmers to overcome barriers to market access and engage in online transactions, thereby accessing both national and global markets [ 15 ]. The elimination of price squeeze and information asymmetry by intermediaries has enabled the farmers to sell their products at higher prices compared to before [ 9 ]. E-commerce has been shown to enhance farm performance and decrease transaction costs [ 16 ]. Agricultural e-commerce in China has seen tremendous growth, owing to continued high-level support and promotion from the central government [ 9 , 17 ]. According to data from the Ministry of Commerce (2020), rural online retail sales in China reached 1.7 trillion yuan in 2019, accounting for 16.1% of total retail sales, with a growth rate of 19.1% which was 2.6% higher than the growth rate of total retail sales. Online retail sales of agricultural products reached 397.5 billion yuan in the same year. Therefore, exploring the implementation of e-commerce in ASC could play a role in advancing rural revitalization.

An ASC refers to the series of production-to-market activities involved in the transportation of agricultural products from the farm to the consumer’s table [ 18 ]. This encompasses all processes, from production on the farm to processing, distribution, and retailing, ultimately reaching the end-user [ 8 ]. In the academic sphere, numerous studies have compared ASCs with other supply chains so as to identify the defining characteristics of ASCs. Like other supply chains, ASCs are an intricate network of organizational entities that bring products and services to the market with the aim of satisfying the needs of customers [ 19 ]. Despite being closely akin to fast-moving consumer goods supply chains in many aspects, the primary difference is that ASCs source raw materials directly from fields, with the final products intended for either human or animal consumption [ 20 ]. The objective of ASC management is to swiftly and efficiently transport agricultural products from farmers to end-users, while minimizing damage to the products [ 21 ]. This not only contributes to the financial stability of farmers by ensuring fair returns, but also ensures that consumers receive high-quality products. However, the unique characteristics of agricultural products, such as limited shelf life, variability in demand and price, and consumer requirements for product traceability, make ASCs more complex and challenging to manage, compared to other supply chains [ 22 ]. Consequently, it can be challenging to apply the practical experience of SCM from other industries to the management of ASCs [ 23 ]. Given the critical role that product traceability, quality specifications, and food safety play in ASCs, effective ASC management necessitates the incorporation of activities and decision-making processes at the strategic, tactical, and operational levels [ 5 , 24 ]. Consequently, this research aimed to examine the potential for e-commerce to optimize the agricultural supply chain by restructuring three flows (material flow, information flow, and financial flow [ 25 ]) of the supply chain, in accordance with the unique characteristics of the agricultural supply chain.

Despite the challenges posed by the inherent characteristics of agricultural products to the implementation of e-commerce in agriculture, there remains a positive outlook towards its future application, as demonstrated by several studies [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. The application of rural e-commerce has been touted as a means of transforming the configuration and relationships between various segments of the ASC [ 31 , 32 ]. The potential benefits of rural e-commerce include reduced production and transaction costs, improved logistics and distribution efficiency, decreased information asymmetries, enhanced links between agricultural production supply and demand, and facilitated connections between users globally [ 33 , 34 , 35 ]. Li et al. [ 36 ], Zhu et al. [ 37 ] and Juan et al. [ 38 ] also found that rural e-commerce offers significant advantages in enhancing the marketing and trading of agricultural products. Chiang et al. [ 39 ] were the first to propose the concept of rural e-commerce for supply chain optimization and found that its adoption into the traditional agricultural channel could result in improved ASC efficiency. Fritz et al. [ 31 ] posited that rural e-commerce involves the utilization of electronic strategies in interaction and transaction between participants in the agricultural industry, leading to new relationships and reconfigured relationships between various stages and segments of ASCs. Research into the optimization of the supply chain by e-commerce mainly focuses on its intermediary and information-sharing roles [ 30 ]. Li et al. [ 32 ] found that e-commerce enables the creation of effective information sharing mechanisms within an ASC. Zeng et al. [ 9 ] believed that rural e-commerce could mitigate the negative effects of information asymmetry caused by physical distance and increase the selling prices for small farmers. GuoHua et al. [ 40 ] used an evolutionary game model to compare traditional and modern ASCs and found that e-commerce could address the problem of information asymmetry. However, there are also opposing viewpoints among scholars. Some limitations and challenges in the implementation of e-commerce in ASCs have been brought to light. Mueller [ 14 ] analyzed the impact of e-commerce on the agricultural market and concluded that existing e-commerce for agricultural products suffers from low logistics efficiency, high costs, and low service levels, which cannot meet consumers’ requirements for high quality and efficiency. Zhao et al. [ 41 ] also identified some problems with national rural e-commerce platforms and suggested that local e-commerce platforms could be more efficient in ASC management. Bao et al. [ 42 ] and Montealegre et al. [ 43 ] pointed out that the deep integration of e-commerce and ASC still requires further analysis of the supply chain process. However, few studies have focused on how rural e-commerce platforms optimize and reconstruct ASCs, and few studies have analyzed their operational mechanisms by examining the three flows of the supply chain [ 9 ].

Numerous scholars have investigated the mechanism of supply chain optimization by examining the interplay between the three flows [ 44 , 45 ]. Kim et al. [ 46 ] posited that the management of these flows constitutes the foundational components of e-commerce supply chain management activities. Studies have been conducted on the interdependence between the three flows, exploring how they can be integrated to deliver more efficient supply chain services. Sahin et al. [ 47 ] and Lee et al. [ 48 ] emphasized that, without information flow, material and financial flows are unable to function optimally. Rai et al. [ 49 ] suggested that information technology could significantly improve supply chain performance by integrating information and material flow. Costa et al. [ 50 ] found that the integration of information and material flows through RFID technology contributed to quality management of agricultural products. The integration of capital flow and logistics could enhance inventory management and financial planning [ 51 ], as demonstrated by studies, such as those by Pfohl et al. [ 52 ] and Wang et al. [ 53 ], showing that the segmentation and integration of the three flows could reflect the underlying operational mechanisms of the supply chain and improve its service capability through effective integration.

In light of these findings, this study aimed to shed light on how rural e-commerce platforms can construct a comprehensive and integrated agricultural supply chain model. The study examines the relationship between rural e-commerce platforms and the supply chain by investigating the enhancement, interaction, and integration of information flow, capital flow, and logistics. Through a case study approach, the study aimed to distil a model of rural e-commerce platforms and the agricultural supply chain that can be extrapolated and applied to other regions and agricultural products to advance agricultural development.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. methodology.

The utilization of a qualitative case study approach was deemed appropriate for this research in order to explore the unique phenomena and questions present within the complex background. The case study method, as discussed by Yin et al. [ 54 ], is suitable for studying the formation of rare and significant emerging phenomena that involve diverse background conditions, multiple sources of evidence, and dynamic changes. The selection of Tudouec as the subject for a single case study was based on two factors. Firstly, as highlighted by Zhao et al. [ 41 ], local e-commerce platforms exhibit greater capability in mobilizing resources and promoting agriculture compared to national agricultural e-commerce platforms. Hence, it was deemed more appropriate to choose a representative local e-commerce platform for a single case study. Secondly, there is limited research on the integration of the three flows in rural e-commerce supply chains, making Tudouec an ideal candidate, as it represents a noteworthy example of this integration and is, therefore, deserving of an in-depth study.

2.2. Case Selection

Inner Mongolia is China’s largest potato production base, where production accounts for about 1/7 of the national production [ 55 ]. The region is characterized by abundant light, large diurnal temperature differences, and light soil texture, which are favorable for potato production [ 56 , 57 ]. Tudouec E-commerce Platfrom (Tudouec) was founded in 2012 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China. Unlike other rural e-commerce platforms, Tudouec not only has the function of collecting, processing, and releasing information, but also breaks the information asymmetry and takes the initiative to optimize the supply chain to build a virtuous agricultural benefit ecosystem. The platform effectively integrates supply, production, processing, sales, storage, and logistics. Table 1 and Figure 1 show the composition of the Tudouec Platform and organizational chart. The platform consists of three subsidiaries, each with different functions. Specifically, Jinke is responsible for the operation of the online trading platform and the construction of the information platform. Golden Bean is stationed with account managers and technicians to provide offline agricultural planting technological guidance and supervision for farmers. Tengzhou handles the procurement of agricultural materials, such as seeds and chemical fertilizers. It also provides mechanized equipment rental services and offline distribution sales services for farmers.

Organizational chart and departmental mission chart of Tudouec.

Composition of the Tudouec Platform.

Compared with Alibaba and JD.com, the Tudouec platform is only a small platform for regional and niche agricultural products categories. However, the continuous growth of the Tudouec platform’s trading volume for several years in a row proves its superiority to some extent. Moreover, it is a rare comprehensive rural e-commerce platform that combines the platform business model, SCM model, and supply chain finance model. Therefore, it is a representative case study that deserves to be studied in depth.

2.3. Data Collection and Analysis

The data used in this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources and were subjected to triangulation to ensure the reliability and validity of the results. Triangulation is recognized as an essential method in case study research [ 54 ]. This study mainly collected data from five sources: interviews, participatory observation, official websites, cooperative financial institutions, and media reports. The utilization of multiple data sources allowed for triangulation [ 58 ], thereby enhancing the credibility and accuracy of the study’s conclusions. The primary data were mainly obtained by the following means:

Interviews: To obtain the primary data needed, semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews were conducted in this research. Semi-structured interviews are not only highly maneuverable but also allow the interviewers to engage in in-depth communication with the interviewees. As shown in Table 2 , a total of 34 interviews were conducted for relevant individuals in this study. The interviews were led by one lead interviewer, who was a native speaker of the local language, and the average length was about one hour. Focus group interviews were also conducted in this research to ensure that all the participants expressed their views and to avoid the dominance of particular individuals and ensure group conformity [ 59 ]. Most respondents were interviewed more than once for this study in order to obtain comprehensive information and to ensure the authenticity of the information conveyed. The initial interviews and investigation were conducted on 17–24 May, 2020, and the supplemental interviews were carried out on 13–14 July, 2020. To reveal the changes in the villagers’ income structures, we also interviewed five rural villagers who were not involved in Tudouec. The question designed for this group only focused on their planting and marketing model.

List of interviews.

The data collection for this study involved a combination of qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and secondary information collection. The interviews were conducted with key stakeholders of the case company and covered six essential aspects of the company’s operation: business model, distribution model, information management model, supply chain finance model, and SCM model. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, resulting in 100 pages of transcripts.

The interviews were composed of the following six parts to gain necessary information about the company: overall operation and business model, distribution model, information management model, supply chain finance model, and SCM model. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, resulting in 108 pages of transcripts. Participatory observation: field visits to the sample enterprises focused on understanding the specific mode of operation of Tudouec and the SCM methods. This further enriched the study’s research data.

Secondary information was obtained mainly through online articles, news, reports, and videos. An example was Tudouec platform information, which included the following: (1) the official website and WeChat official account; (2) cooperative financial institutions; (3) tracking media reports.

The collected data underwent coding and analysis through the utilization of Microsoft Excel for data reduction and coding. Participatory research and interviews with the principals of the three companies under the Tudou platform were conducted to examine their historical background, development, and scope of business. The framework of the companies was constructed (referred to in Figure 1 ), taking into account their respective roles and positions within the platform. This served to better illustrate the organizational structure of the companies. Building on this initial step, the network structure of the platform was drawn, based on the companies’ framework, in order to categorize the functional aspects of the platform. The supply chain services provided by Tudouec were vertically divided into e-commerce trade, offline services, and finance-related services. To further study the underlying mechanisms of its supply chain management, the supply chain model of Tudouec was mapped, based on the information flow, financial flow, and material flow, and the findings from the previous steps integrated with, and incorporating, data obtained from the semi-structured interviews. Finally, the accuracy of the design was verified through mutual validation with the participants of the platform, confirming the validity of the results of the case study.

3. Case Description

3.1. traditional asc model and existing problems.

As depicted in Figure 2 , a traditional ASC is characterized by its simplicity and fragility. The distribution channels available to farmers, including local retail, broker purchase, and starch factory purchase, are limited in scope [ 40 , 60 ]. While local retail offers higher unit prices, it is characterized by lower sales volume and stringent product quality requirements. Starch factories possess significant bargaining power and are selective in the varieties they purchase. Unlike the traditional ASC, brokers exploit information asymmetry and transportation bargaining power, leading to a substantial reduction in farmers’ profits. The dotted line in the figure linking only the middlemen and starch factories with downstream consumers highlights the difficulty that farmers face in directly connecting with their customers.

Traditional ASC model.

In sum, the problems of traditional ASCs are mainly focused on market channels, information access, cultivation, finance, insurance, logistics, and storage ( Table 3 ). First, the large number of farmers, the small scale of single-family farming, and the low degree of organization lead to farmer groups failing to establish a scale effect in the market. The unit transaction cost of almost all transactions is high [ 13 ]. Second, market imperfections are prevalent in developing countries, such as lack of technology and price opacity, weak linkages to downstream markets, and credit constraints [ 61 ]. Third, the poor efficiency of information flow, the lack of financial and insurance services, the incomplete and expensive logistics system, and the inferior storage conditions all constrain the development of the rural economy.

The current situation of the traditional agricultural model and the problems faced by farmers.

3.2. Description of the Tudouec Business Model

Traditional ASCs needs to be integrated and redesigned to make them more efficient and competitive [ 8 ]. As shown in Figure 3 , Tudouec generally weaves a dense supply chain network that connects farmers, starch factories, insurance companies, financial institutions, warehouse companies, logistic companies, and downstream customers together. Compared with the traditional ASC model, this model looks complex and bloated. However, complexity does not mean inefficiency. Rather, Tudouec creates a full-function supply chain system. Tudouec acts as an integrator of information to guide the development of agricultural production plans by analyzing the overall supply and demand levels of the industry in real time. In addition, Tudouec acts as an online trade exchange platform, which improves agricultural products’ distribution efficiency and increases the profit margin. Tudouec also has the function of providing quality agricultural material supplements, including seedlings, pesticides, fertilizers, machinery, accessories, crop health care, and guidance in planting techniques. Logistics, warehousing, and cold storage services are also included. Financing and insurance are also available for members who join the platform. Therefore, we provide an in-depth analysis of the emergence mechanism of this business model.

Supply chain model of Tudouec.

We established a research road map, depicted in Figure 4 , to shed light on the functioning of the Tudouec platform and the integration of the three flows that drive the generation of SCM tools. Our initial focus was on the significance of the information flow. By considering the information flow as the core of Tudouec, we aimed to examine how the platform integrates data from all participants to establish a well-functioning agricultural supply chain network, thereby overcoming the challenges of information silos commonly encountered in traditional supply chains. Next, we analyzed the integration of the information flow with the capital flow and its potential to generate supply chain insurance and financial instruments. Furthermore, we studied the integration of the information and material flows and its impact on the development of new sales models, logistics, and warehousing strategies. Our aim was to provide a complete understanding of the various techniques and strategies employed to achieve this integration and the benefits yielded. Finally, we delved into the interplay of the three flows, leading to the optimization of the supply chain. Our analysis shed light on the capabilities generated by the combined efforts of the information, capital, and material flows. The ultimate objective of this discussion was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the operational mechanism of the Tudouec platform and how it was designed to optimize and reconfigure the agricultural supply chain.

Research Roadmap.

4. Discussion

4.1. capabilities generated from information flow.

Information sharing is a crucial component of successful SCM [ 62 , 63 ]. This sharing helps coordinate business processes and improve services provided to customers [ 53 ]. Studies have consistently demonstrated that information flow is essential to a functioning supply chain and takes precedence over other types of flows [ 62 , 64 ]. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) play a vital role in the agribusiness sector, as they can enhance the efficiency, sustainability, flexibility, and resilience of the entire supply chain from farmer to end customer [ 65 ]. Despite rapid advancements in ICT, rural areas continue to lag behind urban areas, especially in developing countries, where information asymmetry is prevalent across all stages of the Agricultural Supply Chain (ASC), resulting in reduced supply chain efficiency.

The Tudouec platform aims to collect, analyze, publish, and exchange information. As depicted in Figure 5 , the platform creates a diverse and complex information network that allows each participant to access and aggregate information, thereby establishing an efficient and transparent information exchange channel. Firstly, the platform facilitates an efficient and transparent information exchange channel to collect and summarize supply and demand information for the industry as a whole. Through big data analysis, the platform matches buyers and sellers with accuracy. As illustrated in Figure 6 , analysis of price change trends can help farmers make informed decisions about the best-selling price for their products. The platform also predicts market demand, enabling farmers to make informed decisions about the variety and scale of crops to plant the following year. Secondly, the platform provides farmers with access to advanced farming techniques through regular visits from technicians who teach and monitor the farming process. The platform leverages its information and scale advantages to negotiate competitive prices for high-quality seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural machinery with suppliers. Lastly, the platform implements cameras and internet of things monitoring equipment in plantation areas to monitor crop growth in real-time. Information about planting conditions is uploaded to the platform, making it accessible to all participants. In the future, the platform intends to utilize blockchain technology to provide traceability functions [ 66 ].

Information integration model of Tudouec.

Monthly K chart of the national wholesale potato market prices ( www.tudouec.com , accessded on 25 October 2022.).

4.2. Capabilities Generated from Information Flow + Financial Flow

4.2.1. insurance.

The provision of insurance services by insurance companies to eligible farmers in the Tudouec platform is depicted in Figure 7 . In this partnership, farmers are able to access insurance coverage at a reduced premium rate of 3%, which is lower that of traditional insurance products offered outside of the platform. The insurance coverage compensates for up to 90% of losses incurred due to natural disasters or low market prices. The effective management of information flow is a key aspect of this arrangement as Tudouec shares relevant data, including planting information, order information, and market information with the insurance companies. This helps to bridge the information gap that often exists in the traditional insurance industry. Additionally, the platform’s account managers, who provide guidance and supervision of the planting process, serve as a crucial reference for the insurance companies in reducing risks and promoting effective risk management practices [ 67 ].

Platform insurance model.

4.2.2. Agricultural Order Financing

The lack of a stable repayment source, collateral, and low credit rating have long posed challenges for farmers in securing adequate financing for their operations. Despite the need for capital to expand and reproduce, traditional financing options for farmers are often difficult and expensive to obtain [ 68 ]. Supply chain finance, which leverages the combination of information flow and capital flow resources, has emerged as a solution to this problem. Reliable information can be used to mitigate investment risk within the supply chain and reduce the cost of capital [ 52 ]. Tudouec’s platform, which is built upon information and logistics, serves as the cornerstone of the bank’s “platform + insurance + order financing” model. This model is designed to provide low-cost credit funds to farmers, while also addressing the risk management challenges faced by the bank. In the context of agricultural supply chains (ASCs), order farming is an upstream intervention mode that can be considered a supply chain finance scheme [ 69 ]. The order financing model, as illustrated in Figure 8 , enables farmers to secure financing through the information and logistics infrastructure provided by Tudouec, thereby improving access to capital and promoting sustainable agricultural development.

“Platform + Insurance + Order Financing” Model.

The borrowing individuals in this financial model are farmers who have been active participants on the Tudouec platform for a minimum of five years and have cultivated a minimum of 33 acres in the current planting season. The financial institution, in this case a bank, leverages data sharing with the Tudouec platform to obtain information related to the scale of planting, production, and market orders. As a result, the bank is able to offer unsecured loans to potato farmers with interest rates lower than 8%. During the planting period, Tudouec provides technical support and on-site supervision to farmers, who are required to adhere strictly to the platform’s established planting standards for planting, harvesting, and disease/pest control. This information is recorded in real-time and uploaded onto the platform, providing valuable data for post-credit management and insurance supervision by financial institutions and insurance companies. Moreover, the intermediary role played by the Tudouec platform ensures that farmers receive payment for their sales, while also ensuring that downstream customers receive high-quality products. In the event of market fluctuations or product stagnation, the Tudouec-assisted starch factory promises to purchase any unsold potatoes. If the crops suffer losses due to natural disasters or low market prices, the insurance company is responsible for compensating farmers and the bank for 90% of the losses, thereby minimizing potential losses and reducing risks for all involved parties.

4.3. Capabilities Generated from Information Flow + Material Flow

4.3.1. complete trading, logistics, and warehousing systems.

The coordination of material flow in the agricultural industry is greatly improved through the facilitation of information flow. Historically, farmers have faced challenges in obtaining reasonable prices for the rental of logistics and warehousing services due to their limited bargaining power [ 41 ]. However, as the platform continues to grow and attract a larger number of stakeholders, including farmers, service providers, and downstream customers, the emergence of economies of scale has led to an increase in the number of logistics and warehousing enterprises settling in, and, thus, enhancing the overall capacity of the supply chain. Specifically, the improvement of logistics capacity offers farmers the ability to overcome the limitations imposed by distance, reducing the loss associated with transportation and enabling long-distance and high-priced orders to be fulfilled. The enhancement of storage capacity, on the other hand, reduces storage loss and extends the sales period, contributing to higher income for farmers.

The integration of information flow and material flow is demonstrated in two distinct areas. Firstly, the application of information technology in logistics and warehousing allows for real-time monitoring of cargo status, offering greater visibility and control over the supply chain. Secondly, the platform facilitates the sharing of information regarding storage and logistics capacities, enabling individual farmers to benefit from shared resources and cost savings, effectively reducing costs and minimizing resource waste.

4.3.2. Smart Plantation

Tudouec is currently exploring the potential of a technologically advanced smart plantation system. This innovative approach integrates several cutting-edge technologies, including 5G, drones, video surveillance, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and automatic sprinkler irrigation. The deployment of these technologies has several significant benefits, including reduced labor costs, increased efficiency and quality of the planting process, and it addresses critical issues in food safety and traceability. By leveraging these advanced technologies, Tudouec aims to create a smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable agricultural ecosystem that meets the evolving needs of farmers and consumers alike.

4.3.3. Reshape Agriculture Marketing

As illustrated in Figure 9 , the platform challenges the conventional sales model by establishing three new models of online trading, order sale, and sales guarantee. The online trading model enables both the supply and demand sides to publish trading information and take advantage of the platform’s intermediary function for secure transactions. The order sale model, in turn, ensures steady supply and stabilizes prices through a three-step process. Firstly, the platform collects information on the production capacity of farmers, the demands of downstream customers, and starch factories. Secondly, the platform coordinates the supply and demand sides to reach a cooperative agreement in the form of orders [ 70 ]. Finally, farmers are only required to plant high-quality products in accordance with the variety and quantity specified in the order, eliminating the need for them to worry about sales. The platform’s sales guarantee model, represented by the dashed box in Figure 9 , provides a viable solution to the issue of overproduction. In the event of overproduction or late sales, the platform collaborates with starch factories to purchase the surplus produce at cost price.

Sales model of the Tudouec platform from the perspective of farmers.

4.4. Capabilities Generated from the Integration of the Three Flows

4.4.1. inventory financing.

Inventory financing is a subset of supply chain financing [ 71 ]. Agricultural supply chains (ASCs) are often characterized by seasonal harvesting, resulting in a large capital demand during the raw material procurement period, but a long payback period for product sales, leading to a funding gap. To address this issue, Tudouec integrated the advantages of information flow, bank capital flow, and material flow to create a potato warehouse receipt pledge financing model.

The operation process of this model is illustrated in Figure 10 . The first step involves a joint pre-lending investigation, conducted by the bank and the platform, followed by the provision of loans to the starch factory, with the inventory as collateral. Secondly, the starch factory and the platform share transaction data related to the raw material warehouse, the starch warehouse, and the starch. The pledged goods are stored in an intelligent warehouse that is supervised by the starch factory, the bank, and the platform, with real-time inbound and outbound information being synchronized to the platform. Lastly, the starch factory sales are settled through the platform, enabling monitoring of accounts receivable. In the event of loan delinquency or other repayment difficulties, the platform can repay the loan using the accounts receivable, or liquidate the starch in stock at the current price to repay the loan.

Inventory financing model.

4.4.2. Risk Control and Management

Compared to other supply chains, the Agricultural Supply Chain (ASC) is subject to a higher number of sources of uncertainty and risk, particularly when compared to a traditional model where the risks are primarily borne by farmers [ 65 ]. The integration of three streams of information, capital, and material has led to the development of a systematic supply chain risk management system, which effectively minimizes the risks faced by each participant. For farmers, the platform’s implementation of order-based sales addresses the concern of marketing, while supply chain financing addresses the risk of insufficient capital. Insurance further protects farmers from financial loss due to natural disasters. The platform also facilitates quality control and price negotiation through bulk purchasing of high-quality and cost-effective agricultural products and mechanized equipment, thereby reducing the price of fertilizers and equipment and ensuring the quality of agricultural materials. Insurance institutions can benefit from the platform’s sharing of planting data, which enables real-time tracking and monitoring and reduces regulatory costs, thereby minimizing moral hazards. Financial institutions can benefit from the platform’s provision of transaction information, such as orders, warehousing, logistics, and more, ensuring the authenticity of trade. Risk mitigation measures, including pledges of accounts receivable, help guarantee the source of repayment, and third-party intelligent warehousing supervision ensures the validity of inventory pledges. The forced liquidation mechanism further protects funds in the event of a market downside risk. For starch factories, the platform reduces the risks associated with raw material sourcing and helps to control the quality and variety of raw materials, while also addressing the risk of insufficient capital and sales. However, it is important to note that the platform, as an intermediary and information manager, can cause significant harm to all participants if moral risks or information security breaches occur. As a result, constraints and security mechanisms are necessary to monitor and ensure the stable operation of the platform.

4.5. Effect of the Integration of the Three Flows

The integration of the three flows has led to the development of a new supply chain model, which optimizes the SCM level and enhances the support for real agriculture. The platform model effectively addresses the issues faced by traditional agriculture in regards to marketing, access to information, financing, storage, and transportation (as outlined in Table 4 ). By combining capital flow, information flow, and material flow, the platform exhibits a robust supply chain service capability. From an SCM perspective, the platform ensures the seamless transportation of products, efficient dissemination of information, and secure financial transactions. The e-commerce platform serves as the central component of the supply chain, connecting all participants in the model, and can be viewed as a centralized information platform, due to the collection, integration, and sharing of information within the system. The efficient operation of the information flow removes the obstacles previously faced by capital flow and logistics operations. By establishing a comprehensive network of material flow, capital flow, and information flow, barriers from supply to demand are lifted, and new ASC management tools, such as supply chain financial services, insurance services, logistics, and warehousing services, are created, greatly improving the efficiency of the overall supply chain operations.

Comparison of models based on the farmers’ perspective.

The traditional intermediary modes of brokers take advantage of information asymmetry, but the platform-oriented SCM mode promotes information interaction among the participants and weaves the whole supply chain network using the information as the hub. The interaction of information flow with material and capital flows enables supply chain services widely used in industry, such as supply chain finance, intelligent storage, and intelligent logistics, to be applied in the agricultural field. Therefore, rather than calling the e-commerce platform model an “internet+agriculture” business model, it is better to call it an information-based SCM model. On one hand, the e-commerce platform provides high-quality supply chain services through the interconnection of information technology. On the other hand, the optimization of the supply chain by the e-commerce platform enhances SCM capability.

5. Conclusions

5.1. theoretical contributions.

This paper contributes to the field of SCM literature by making three theoretical contributions. First, it seeks to define the relationship between information flow, material flow, and capital flow by using the case study of Tudouec. The paper finds that Tudouec’s efficient information flow system improves the efficiency of both material and capital flow. Second, this study is the first to examine the resources embedded in the three processes, and to identify the resulting supply chain capabilities. It proposes that the e-commerce platform’s enhanced supply chain service capability comes from the interaction and combination of these processes. Third, the paper introduces the concept of using an e-commerce platform to optimize SCM and service capabilities. This platform is seen as an ideal environment to gain insight into the supply chain concept, and research suggests that the core competency of agricultural e-commerce platforms is providing high-quality supply chain services by managing these three flows.

5.2. Managerial Contributions

The findings of this study offer valuable managerial insights into the potential impact of an agricultural e-commerce platform on rural development. The ASC e-commerce platform studied here demonstrated its ability to reduce the risk of the agricultural supply chain, improve the quality of agricultural products, and promote collaboration among stakeholders. By converging three streams, the platform created a more efficient and effective system for the entire agricultural product life cycle, including production, processing, distribution, and financing. This led to not only reduced risk in the agricultural supply chain, but also improved quality and competitiveness of farmers and the sector as a whole. Additionally, the platform facilitated cooperation and mutual benefits among farmers, distributors, and consumers. These insights emphasize the importance of leveraging technology and innovative solutions in addressing the challenges faced by the agricultural industry, and highlight the potential for the platform to facilitate rural revitalization. This study contributes to the existing literature that supports the viability of rural e-commerce for promoting and developing various agricultural products in developing countries [ 72 , 73 , 74 ]. As a mature e-commerce platform for potatoes, Tudouec showcases a successful business model and supply chain management approach that has the potential to be replicated and adapted for other agricultural contexts. Overall, this study has important implications for rural management.

5.3. Limitation and Future Research Directions

This study was limited in several ways that should be addressed in future research. Firstly, the sample size of the present study was limited to a single entity, Tudouec. Further research is needed to expand the sample size and conduct multiple case studies. Secondly, the time period of this study was relatively short, so may not provide a comprehensive picture of the situation. Longitudinal studies with a longer time frame are required to better understand the long-term operation and development of the platform. Thirdly, this study mainly employed a qualitative research approach, leading to more subjective findings. Future research should aim to increase the level of objectivity by incorporating quantitative methods. Fourthly, the focus of this study was on a potato e-commerce platform in the Inner Mongolia region. Research in different geographical and agricultural contexts is needed to generalize the results. Additionally, future research should explore various types of rural e-commerce platforms not covered in this study and compare the results with those presented in this paper.

Funding Statement

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Number 71932002 and 72274010), the Youth Beijing Scholars Program, and China Scholarship Council (202206540068).

Author Contributions

J.L.: conceptualization, methodology, funding acquisition support, writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. X.Y.: software, Methodology, data curation, investigation, verification, writing—original draft. Y.L.: formal analysis, Visualization. X.D.: conceptualization, supervision, writing—review and editing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Challenges Faced by Small-Scale Farmers in Rural Agricultural Marketing: A Case Study in India

2023, Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology (AJAST)

Agriculture serves as the primary means of subsistence for the great majority of people living in rural areas of developing countries like India. The agriculture industry was a major pillar of economic growth and stability both before and after the oil boom that occurred in the late 1950s. As a result of the fact that domestic production satisfied the large majority of the demand for agricultural products, it was not necessary to spend valuable foreign cash on the purchase of these things. In international organizations that deal with topics such as food safety, biodiversity, innovation, intellectual property protection, trade, and sustainable development, small-scale farmers have a disproportionately low level of representation. As a result, the objective of this research is to investigate the challenges that are faced by small-scale farmers who are located in rural areas while they are attempting to sell their produce. For the purpose of the study, a descriptive methodology and certain fundamental random sampling procedures were utilized, and fifty (50) small-scale farmers were chosen at random to participate. The researchers employed a questionnaire that did not include any open-ended questions so that they could get information from the subjects of the study. In order to make sense of the data that was gathered, conventional statistical methods such as frequency, percentage, and mean were applied. According to the research, one of the most significant obstacles that stands in the way of the success of female business owners in the marketing field is their lack of access to various financing resources. After this comes problems with transit, and after that comes a lack of functionality in the market's infrastructure. The findings of the research indicated that there was an inadequate quantity of data on agricultural marketing in the region that was under investigation. Farmers need to be knowledgeable about a variety of various aspects of agricultural marketing, such as where they can acquire financing, how to keep their commodities fresh, how to package them, and how the market is functioning. According to the findings of the study, governments had to establish transparent criteria for the sale of agricultural products in order to shield farmers from being taken advantage of or suffering financial losses. This would serve this purpose. In prosperous nations, there is typically a system of crop insurance in place to ensure that farmers will make at least some money off of their harvests. Infrastructure, which includes roads, communication networks, and electricity sources, particularly in underserved areas and rural towns, requires significant financial investment from national governments in order to be upgraded and expanded.

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ABSTRACT Access to markets is a vital success factor for any business. Agricultural marketing encompasses various steps from production planning, up to delivery of the commodity to the final consumer. Agricultural marketing and rural development are key elements for poverty alleviation in most of low-income countries whose livelihood depends on agriculture. However, stakeholders within the case study regions are exposed to agricultural marketing constraints in their quest for livelihoods. Inaccessible poor rural roads and inadequacy of communication facilities limit farmers' access to markets resulting into high farm produce wastes. Producers are not guaranteed of markets of their crops in all localities due to lack of competing buyers and regulatory institutions to oversee the entire process. Agricultural marketing is confronted with several challenges among which are unfavorable agricultural policy, tariff and nontariff barriers to trade and limited permits for small scale farmers to sell their produce outside of their local areas due to government bans. Governments of the case study countries have proved failure on agricultural marketing and price management by leaving almost all agricultural marketing activities under private middle men. This has created a wide gap between the prices received by the farmers and that paid by the consumer. While the farmers are not able to cover their costs of production, consumers are paying an abnormally high price for farm commodity. Public and private sectors need to form a strong acquaintance between them for promoting agricultural marketing by creating a direct contact network between the farmers and customers through local channels in villages to eliminate unnecessary brokerage and/or commission to the agricultural marketing chain for farmers' profit making., http://www.euroasiapub.org (An open access scholarly, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary, monthly, and fully refereed journal)

Universal Journal of Accounting and Finance

Horizon Research Publishing(HRPUB) Kevin Nelson

Purpose: In this study, the main aim is to know farmers' problems in the agricultural sector. Food products are the primary good to ensure the quality of life and health. In the world, many countries are depending on the agricultural sector and farmers are the backbone of the economy. Design/methodology/approach: In this study, the main aim is to find what are the challenges faced by the farmers in Andhra Pradesh State. The present paper attempts to spell out some of the constraints like production, and marketing, and finance-related problems faced by the farmers. Primary data were collected from the farmers to investigate the aim and applied a convenient sample technique to collect opinions from the respondent. Findings: To find out production, marketing, and finance-related problems have been faced by the farmers. This study helps to encourage farmers to produce more goods and to increase productivity. Originality/value: It was concluded that a spellbinding report utilizing essential information would be fitting to explore the destinations. The essential information was gathered from the farmers by utilizing a meeting plan explicitly intended for the reason. Most extreme consideration was taken to give essential explanations in vernacular to empower the respondents to reply as precisely as conceivable with no uncertainty.

Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development, USA

Mohammad Muqeet Khan

Alexander Decker

Seshadripuram Journal of Social Sciences

Vijayakumar A B

Majority of the families in India opted agriculture is the preferred profession/employment for living, but today's former facing numerous issues and challenges. one of the major issue of agriculture is failed to estimate or fixation of prices for products due illiteracy, failed estimate demand, lack of awareness about technology, failed decide what to produce and when to produce, many formers are seasonal growers, many are depending on monsoon, lack of utilisation of resources, water problems, lack initiatives by governments and lack of awareness about government schemes, middlemen interference in sales etc.,. The main purpose of marketing information is to support in taking marketing decision and increase marketing efforts of farmers, but many farmers are failed to market their products at proper price. This study focussed on marketing issues of farmers and how aadhar linking of crops and digitalisation of production details, area wise detail of producers, demand information, fixation of prices in highly transparent manner, warehousing facilities, transportation facilities are help to the farmers come out from all these issues. Government role is very high in find a solution for all these issues, for example maintain transparency in APMC transactions. This study selected 50 farmers from Dodaaballapura taluk and structured questionnaire is employed, simple statistical tools like percentile and one way ANOVA is used.

John Vianney

Felicity Proctor

Khou Stephen

Northeast Indian comprises of eight states where 77 per cent of the working population in the region is engaged and dependent on agricultural operation. The purpose of the paper was to study and identify the challenges in agricultural production and marketing in northeastern states, India. The data in the paper was collected from 120 farmers from four states in the region and was analyze using SPSS. The study found absence of crop insurance; non-availability of bio-pesticide, Non-availability of information on organic farming etc. are categorized under severe problems in production for farmers. Lack of agricultural credit facilities, lack of market information, lack of warehousing and storage facilities, too many intermediaries resulting in high cost of goods and services, lack of farmers' organization etc. are found to be severe problems in marketing for farmers.

… of the OECD …

David Orden

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