The Farmer-to-Farmer Playbook, with Rikin Gandhi of Digital Green

Inspired by astronauts and grounded in the realities of rural India, the founder of Digital Green shares a 15-year journey of using technology to support smallholder farmers. In this episode, we hear how a Microsoft Research project grew into a global nonprofit working with governments and NGOs, first by using low-cost farmer-to-farmer videos, and now by building AI-powered advisory tools in local languages. We dig into what actually works in the field, how costs dropped for farmers using Digital Green's tools, and why partnership, farmer agency, and careful tuning of AI models matter more than flashy tech. Full transcript: https://techmatters.org/ the-farmer-to-farmer-playbook-with-rikin-gandhi-of-digital-green RIKIN GANDHI [Co-Founder & CEO] Rikin was trianed in computer science and aerospace engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and MIT. After working for Oracle and Microsoft Research, he co-founded the non-profit Digital Green in 2008, using digital technology for agricultural extension in South Asia and Africa. RATE, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE If you like what you hear, leave us a 5 star rating on your favorite platform. STAY IN TOUCH Write us a note at podcast@techmatters.org or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tech-matters/