The food security challenge that the world is facing is real and is being increasingly acknowledged. The situation in India assumes a far more grim dimension given the fact that we will soon become the world's most populous nation soon. With practically no possibility of increase in area under cultivation, the only apparent solution is to embrace better practices and technology to increase agricultural productivity. Given the dynamics of the Indian economy, doing that may not be a very straightforward proposition. Agriculture growth has been erratic over the last two decades and not in line with the expectations. With more and secure avenues for earning livelihood, the interest in farming as the primary source of income is decreasing. Unless return on investment from farming becomes attractive and reliable, adoption of better practices will not happen. While the Indian agri inputs industry has played a very prominent role in the growth of agriculture till date. The product range being offered has got expanded and extension services are better organised. But the efforts are largely conventional and adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. The fundamental fact that all farmers do not have the same expectations and are not driven by similar factors is not accounted for. Even if the expectations are similar, the readiness may not be the same across farmers. Customisation of products and extension advisory to suit different farmer profiles is conspicuous by its absence. And unless a farmer's expectations are not met, it will become far more difficult to expect a revival in farming practices and a growth in productivity. It is argued that the large numbers of farmers and the geographic diversity limits the ability to customise, successful attempts of customer profiling from non-agriculture sectors which reach out to rural population do exist. It is, arguably, time for the inputs industry to seriously integrate the classic principle of customer profiling (segmentation) in the efforts to engage with the farmers. A better understood farmer will be better serviced leading to better returns on his/her investment and kick start a revival in Indian agriculture.
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