Overview
A Fortune 500 global agriscience company and a leading hybrid seed player sought to better understand farmers in Karnataka and identify growth opportunities for its hybrid seed portfolio. The study aimed to develop comprehensive farmer personas, analyze hybrid seed adoption behavior, map the farmer buying journey, assess competitor perceptions, and evaluate the influence of key stakeholders such as dealers, peers, family members, and digital platforms. To achieve these objectives, the company engaged Nexdigm to conduct a field-led research study across key regions in Karnataka. The study focused on capturing farmer attitudes, identifying purchase drivers and adoption barriers, understanding stakeholder influence, and analyzing regional variations that shape seed selection, brand preference, and switching behavior.
Challenge
Understanding farmer behavior in the hybrid seed market required a granular, region-specific approach, as purchase decisions are influenced by a complex interplay of agronomic, economic, and social factors such as field performance, peer influence, retailer trust, and perceived crop risks. The key challenges included:
- Developing robust farmer personas segmented by farm size, socio-economic profile, and regional variations to capture heterogeneity across Karnataka.
- Decoding decision-making drivers and barriers for hybrid seed adoption, including yield performance, pricing, retailer credibility, peer validation, and ease of selling farm output.
- Mapping the farmer buying journey to understand decision-making timelines, hybrid usage patterns, and brand-switching triggers.
- Assessing the role of influencers and information channels, including dealers, family members, peer networks, and digital platforms, in shaping purchase decisions.
- Evaluating value chain dynamics in Karnataka, including sales channels, buyer preferences, and the impact of financial and contractual arrangements.
- Analyzing the ‘aware non-user’ segment to identify adoption barriers and opportunities to drive conversion and market penetration.
Solutions
To help the client deepen its understanding of hybrid seed adoption and identify growth opportunities, Nexdigm implemented a structured, field-led research approach involving farmers, dealers, traders, and other value chain stakeholders.
- Developed detailed farmer personas based on farm size, irrigation patterns, socio-economic profile, crop mix, and regional variations.
- Mapped the end-to-end hybrid seed buying journey, from awareness and evaluation to purchase, usage, repeat adoption, and brand switching.
- Identified key adoption drivers and barriers, including yield expectations, pricing, dealer trust, peer influence, and market access.
- Assessed the influence of dealers, family members, peer networks, digital platforms, and progressive farmers on purchase decisions.
- Benchmarked competitor hybrids across yield performance, crop quality, resilience, pricing, availability, and farmer support.
- Analyzed value chain dynamics, including buyer preferences, market linkages, sales channels, and financial arrangements.
- Developed region-specific recommendations across North, Central, and South Karnataka to address adoption barriers and strengthen go-to-market strategy.
Case Highlights
348 Stakeholder Engagements Conducted
300 farmers, 30 retailers, and 18 traders engaged across Karnataka
100% On-Ground, Field-Led Research Execution
Face-to-face interactions for authentic farmer insights
Deep-Dive Farmer Intelligence Study (~35 mins avg.)
Captured key decision drivers, adoption barriers, and switching triggers
End-to-End Data Integrity & Analytics
Managed end-to-end data processing and analytics lifecycle, generating actionable insights that secured a larger follow-on project across 48 regions in India.
Business Outcomes
- Established a 360° view of farmer behavior across adoption, lapse, and non-usage segments.
- Improved brand visibility in low-awareness districts and farmer segments.
- Strengthened farmer confidence through data-backed communication and field engagement initiatives.
- Improved retention opportunities in markets with increasing competitor switching risk.
- Identified higher conversion potential among aware non-users.
- Strengthened dealer and retailer advocacy through focused engagement strategies.
- Improved alignment between hybrid positioning and regional agronomic needs.
- Enabled a more targeted go-to-market strategy across North, Central, and South Karnataka.
- Expanded Nexdigm’s farmer intelligence mandate across 48 additional regions, reflecting the success of the engagement and client confidence in the recommendations delivered.
Client Testimonial
“We had the opportunity to collaborate with Nexdigm on a comprehensive market research project focused on understanding consumer behavior, market dynamics, and competitor intelligence for one of our key markets. The team demonstrated strong strategic thinking, responsiveness, and a deep understanding of research methodologies. What stood out most was their ability to translate complex data and insights into clear, actionable recommendations that helped us better understand our customers’ evolving needs and the competitive landscape.
Their collaborative approach, attention to detail, and commitment to delivering high-quality insights made them a valuable partner throughout the engagement. We appreciate their professionalism and would be happy to recommend them for strategic research and consumer insight projects.”
– Brand & Communication Lead
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Harsh Mittal
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