Pakistani Farmers Go Digital

We normally don’t think of Pakistan as leading the way in farming, but a new program aims to resolve the longstanding challenges faced by Pakistani farmers.

A new suite of digital solutions called the Connected Agriculture Program is intended to improve the farmers’ access to information, financial resources and market while enhancing supply chain efficiency.

These digital solutions include onboarding, a mobile wallet, weather information, a crop calendar, video on demand, expert opinions, a marketplace, supply chain tracking, GSM, data SIMs and agriculture subsidies. 

In the first phase of the project, up to 110,000 mobile phones with these apps preinstalled will be distributed. A majority of the farmers also need education on how to use these apps, so there will be 500 training sessions to train 25,000 farmers. 

Pakistan’s primary natural resources have been plantable land and water, with 34% of the land under cultivation and roughly 43% of the labor force (64% of households) employed in the agriculture sector, which accounts for more than 21% of its GDP. 

Punjab, being the most populated province, contributes roughly 70% of Pakistan's agriculture produce, where approximately 60% of the farmers hold less than 5 acres of land.