India’s path to agricultural progress may rely less on farmers adopting new technologies and more on a change in their thinking. As highlighted in a recent viral LinkedIn post by Himanshu Singh, Scouting Partner at 8State Ventures and Venture Scout at GoAhead Ventures, the future of Indian agriculture could lie in treating farming as an enterprise rather than a generational tradition.
In his commentary, Singh reflected on inter-generational resistance to crop diversification, noting that the hesitation to adopt higher return models is less about capability and more about entrenched beliefs. “Every time I’ve asked my father why we don’t grow higher ROI crops or experiment with better farming models, I’ve sensed hesitation not because he lacks knowledge or ability, but because of deep rooted mindset patterns passed down over generations,” he wrote.
Stagnation Despite Access: The Case for Change
India has seen a notable rise in agritech interventions over the last decade. According to a report by Bain & Company and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Indian agritech sector is poised to reach a market size of US$ 24 billion by 2025, yet only 1% of this potential has been captured. Startups in this space have built solutions addressing everything from market linkages and input optimization to digital supply chains and precision agriculture. However, as Singh points out, these solutions often fail to influence the core behavioral patterns of farmers.
Many cultivators continue to engage in low margin, water intensive crop cycles, particularly paddy and wheat, not due to superior returns, but because of habitual practices. As per the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the real returns on paddy and wheat cultivation have declined over time when adjusted for inflation, yet these crops continue to dominate due to familiarity and minimum support price mechanisms.
“Across India many farmers still grow the same low ROI, water intensive crops (like wheat and paddy) year after year. Not because it’s profitable. But because, that’s how it’s always been done.”
The Missing Link: Farmer as Entrepreneur
The underlying argument made in the post is that India does not just need more agritech, it needs a mindset shift that positions farmers as entrepreneurs. This requires reimagining agriculture as a business rather than subsistence or tradition. Singh outlines how farmers must begin to understand market demand, cost structures, and unit economics. This includes experimenting with high value crops such as millets, horticulture, or floriculture; exploring contract farming and primary processing; and actively leveraging Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), post harvest infrastructure, and digital platforms for market access and scale.
“What’s missing is a shift in mindset from farming as tradition to farming as enterprise.”
According to the agricultural census 2015-16, over 86% of Indian farmers are small and marginal, owning less than 2 hectares of land. These holdings limit scalability and discourage investment in infrastructure and diversification. Furthermore, the NSS 77th Round (2019) survey by the National Statistical Office revealed that only 11% of farmers access any form of agricultural advisory services, further widening the knowledge and decision making gap.
The post argues that while technology may digitize agriculture, it is insufficient unless paired with targeted capacity building, behavioral change, and storytelling that inspire confidence in farmers to act as founders of their own enterprises. The post received strong resonance from startup and academic ecosystems alike.
“This is one of the most insightful posts I have come across on LinkedIn recently.”
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Gautam Prakash, Director of the Entrepreneurship Cell at Delhi Technology University also added to the conversation.
“I am sure with correct guidance, proper help and with folks like you leading the way, our farming sector can be the next goldmine for India.”
These responses reflect a growing consensus that India’s agricultural evolution will depend on farmer first models that go beyond app based solutions and instead embed enterprise literacy, leadership and aspiration within rural communities.
Reframing Agriculture for the Future
India’s agricultural sector contributes approximately 18.3% to national Gross Value Added (GVA), yet it employs over 43% of the country’s workforce, according to Economic Survey 2022-23. This imbalance reflects a productivity and income trap, wherein the majority of those dependent on agriculture remain underpaid and under optimised.
As per the NSS 77th Round, the average monthly income of an agricultural household in India is INR 10,218, of which cultivation contributes just INR 3,798, less than 40%. This income profile illustrates the overdependence on allied activities, labour, and remittances to meet basic needs, further underscoring the urgency of transitioning toward higher value farming models.
The reflections underscore a broader imperative for India’s farming future, one that demands a redefinition of success beyond tools and technologies. While innovation and funding continue to flow into agritech, meaningful impact will depend on enabling farmers to adopt an entrepreneurial mindset. Aligning digital solutions with enterprise education, crop diversification, market alignment, and behavioural reorientation could unlock new pathways for income and resilience. The future of Indian agriculture lies not just in digitisation, but in repositioning farming as a viable, knowledge driven and aspirational pursuit.