Transforming Agriculture Through Digital Farmer Registries

Digital farmer registries (DFRs) are emerging as powerful tools to modernize agriculture in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). By consolidating verified data on farmers, their land and activities, DFRs help governments reduce fraud, improve subsidy targeting and strengthen service delivery. They also enable financial service providers to assess creditworthiness more accurately and extend services to previously excluded farmers. Evidence from India, Kenya and other LMICs shows gains in productivity, efficiency and transparency.

This policy brief highlights key bottlenecks in agricultural value chains and showcases how DFRs can address them. It concludes with actionable recommendations for policymakers looking to build inclusive, resilient agricultural ecosystems.