Almost 60% of India’s population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture as a primary source of livelihood. The number of farmers in India is estimated to be about 145 million. However, fragmented land holdings, sub-optimal soil/crop productivity and multiple levels of intermediation between farmers and consumers have constrained the growth of the sector. Indian agtech startups are trying to solve these multi-dimensional problems by driving farmer inclusion in access to market, quality inputs, mechanization, data, credit and insurance.

This report analyses the impact of market linkage models as an anchor to drive financial inclusion. The study is based on primary data collected from three different startups for a period of three crop seasons to see the impact that the startups create in the livelihood of these farmers.