Aumra Agri-Food, through its extensive presence in the Asean region, including Philippines and Indonesia, world’s two largest agricultural-archipelago, has been closely working in the intersection of linking small holder farmers to the markets, financial inclusion, risk management and sustainability for over two decades.
The founding team of Aumra Agri-Food, together with its international technology partners and advisory board members, possess an extensive local knowledge with international experience in the South-East Asian agriculture, fisheries, natural resources, food processing and exports, agricultural markets, agri-logistics and BFSI, in the private sector, Government, not-for-profits, cooperative organizations.
One of the biggest knowledge gaps in the smallholder agricultural sector in SE Asia is understanding what works and what does not work in building and scaling commercially viable and sustainable business models. Leveraging its knowledge and experience in the SE Asian agricultural markets, risk management and technology adoption, and aligned to its vision and mission of improving the livelihood, income and financial inclusion of small holder farmers in SE Asia, Aumra Agri-Food has adopted the ‘Digital Platform’ approach, as its core business model strategy, to transform the smallholder agricultural markets, traditional agri-business models and food systems into more inclusive, sustainable and commercially viable.
“In my two decades of learning and experience in working in the contrasting sides of global agricultural commodity markets in the developed economies, and small holder farmer value chains in the emerging countries in Asia, this is the first time, I am beginning to see the transformative power of ‘Digital Agri-Fintech Platforms’ in bringing a meaningful impact on the livelihoods of large number of small farmers and their families. Millions of rice, coconut, and high value crop farmers in SE Asian countries, including in the Philippines and Indonesia, are living in the vicious cycle of poverty for generations, even after the so-called Asian resurgence, de-colonization and emerging market economic miracles! Due to lack of political will to introduce reforms, coupled with bureaucratic resistance and lack of private sector investments, the agriculture sector remains as the most neglected and least digitized!
