JOB/AG/247  
JOB/COMTD/3  
 
10 August 2023  
(23-5444) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Agriculture  
Committee on Agriculture Special Session  
Committee on Trade and Development  
 Original: English  
 
VOICES FROM THE FIELD: DIGITAL SOLUTIONS AND INNOVATIONS TO EMPOWER 
FARMERS AND FOOD SECURITY EVENT  
SUBMISSION BY THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA  
 
The following document, received on 9 August 2023 , is being circulated at the request of the 
Delegation of the United States of America . 
 
_______________  
 
 
1.  In collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Hello 
Tractor  startup, and the John Deere Company, the Unit ed States sponsored a session entitled 
"Leveraging Digitization and the Advanced Service Economy, Empowering Farmers and Improving 
Food Security in Sub -Saharan Africa " on 10 July 2023 at the World Trade Organization (WTO)1. The 
session, open to all WTO de legates and the public, provided insights from farmers from Kenya and 
examples of public -private partnerships in East Africa. Speakers told the story of Hello Tractor , a 
web-based application for on -demand agricultural equipment sharing in Sub -Saharan Afri ca, that 
allows tractor owners to track and manage their fleet remotely and to access new customers through 
a booking function.  This App allows them to leverage resources and increase agricultural cultivation 
and productivity.  Hello Tractor ’s innovative bu siness model and use of digital technology has 
increased operator’s profits and incomes by over 100 %, increased acreage under cultivation to 3.5 
million acres in underserved areas, and enables over 4 thousand well -performing farmers to become 
equipment own ers themselves. By using the service, farmers gain access to credit and develop credit 
history, which allows them to buy a tractor, and rent it out making as much as USD 30,000  a year . 
The business model helps to address a common problem of access to finan cing for under -banked 
populations.  
2.  Through innovation and entrepreneurship, Hello Tractor  matches digital and analog tools to fill a 
gap in the marketplace and overcome the challenge of lack of capital resources for small farmers. 
Hello Tractor  also illust rates how digital services can contribute to food security, economic 
empowerment, including women’s economic empowerment, technology transfer, skills training, and 
access to financing.  Perspectives shared by presenters may help WTO Members better understan d 
how recent Ministerial Declarations2 can be put into practice.  
3.  Panelists noted that sometimes success comes not from government action, but from 
government openness to allowing innovation and technology to play a driving role to empower 
entrepreneurship . New technologies like ridesharing apps can fill critical needs in areas such as food 
security if they are allowed to grow.  With agricultural services on demand like Hello Tractor , 
 
1 The thematic session was organized on the margins of the Committee on Trade and Development , 
which took place on 11 July 2023.  
2 United States Communication “The WTO’s Role in Enhancing Food Security” (JOB/C TG/25), 27 March 
2023. This communication was first introduced on 31 March 2023 at the Special Session of the Committee on 
Agriculture and also introduced at the regular session of the CTD on 11 July 2023. Ministerial Declaration on 
the Emergency Response to Food Insecurity, adopted on 17 June 2022 (WT/ MIN(22)/28; WT/L/1139); and 
Ministerial Declaration on the WTO Response to the COVID -19 Pandemic and Preparedness for Future 
Pandemics, adopted on 17 June 2022 (WT/MIN(22)/31; WT/L/1142).  JOB/AG/247 • JOB/COMTD/3  
 
- 2 - 
 
  participating countries enabled innovation, and we are seeing the success of these policies through 
increased productivity and a path towards tractor ownership and entrepreneurism.   
4.  Presenters also stressed the need to advance technological innovations and find fit -for-purpose 
local solutions through creative partnerships, which generate a positive atmosphere for dynamic 
adoption and adaptation of technology. John Deere is a partner i n the Hello Tractor  initiative as an 
equipment manufacturer and as a leader in applying information technology to agriculture. The 
company presented its SMART campaign to explain its approach to partnerships such as the one 
with Hello Tractor . The campaign includes: solutions for small farmers and contractors, 
mechanization for higher yields, access to financing, reliability for lower costs, and technology and 
education. The key message delivered was that "smallholder farmers in Africa don’t nee d yesterday’s 
solutions or the output of outdated tooling.  They need the same thing farmers everywhere need, 
innovation and understanding. " This event highlighted how innovative business models are already 
helping farmers make decisions and improve the sus tainability and profitability of their farming 
operations.  
5.  The United States will continue to work with WTO Members to bring diverse and insightful 
perspectives to the WTO. These voices help us understand how the availability and use of 
technologies and to ols can help address the challenges we face today and those we will face in the 
future.  
6.  A recording of the session is available at https://agrilinks.org/post /digital -solutions -and-
innovations -sustainable -agriculture . 
 
__________