Why farmers switched seed brands, and what it took to win them back

What is shaping agriculture

Agriculture supports a large share of rural livelihoods, and its buying decisions are made close to the soil: at the village dealer, the cooperative and the neighbouring lead farmer. Seasonality, weather and credit shape almost every choice a farmer makes.

• Purchase decisions cluster in short pre-sowing windows
• Trusted dealers and lead farmers carry more weight than advertising
• Digital payments, agri-fintech and crop insurance are changing how farmers buy

A national seed company, working in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & Telangana. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

A national seed company

Sector

Agriculture

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Quantitative research, Offline data collection (CAPI), Reporting & insights

Sales of the client’s flagship cotton hybrid had slipped for two seasons in a row, but field teams could not agree why. Some blamed price, others blamed a competitor’s dealer incentives, and a few suspected the seed itself had lost its reputation after a difficult monsoon.

• Answer the core question: why farmers switched seed brands, and what it took to win them back.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of farmers.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of agri-input dealers.
• Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 7 weeks.

The work focused on 1,800 farmers and 120 agri-input dealers.

• farmers1,800
• agri-input dealers120

Audiences we typically reach in agriculture

Farmers and growersAgri-input dealersCooperatives and FPOsAgronomists and extension workersAgri-fintech users

Coverage: Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & Telangana. Market: India. 36 districts covered.

• India

A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Face-to-face farmer interviews
3. 3Dealer interviews
4. 4Insight

We sent local-language interviewers into villages during the pre-sowing window, when seed decisions are actually made. Farmers walked us through how they chose last season’s seed, who they listened to, and what made them switch. We also interviewed the dealers who sold to them, so we could compare what farmers said with what happened at the counter.

Quantitative researchOffline data collection (CAPI)Reporting & insights

farmers

1,800

agri-input dealers

120

• Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
• Respondents were selected across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh & Telangana using quotas set in advance for each location and respondent type, so no single area or group dominated.
• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

• Trained local-language interviewers conducted interviews in person on tablets (CAPI), with time and location recorded for every interview.
• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.

• Back-checks on a share of completed interviews
• Time and location checks on field interviews
• Supervisor accompaniment in the field
• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
• Significance testing on the differences that mattered
• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping

• The answer was neither price nor seed quality.
• Most switchers had followed the advice of a trusted dealer or a neighbouring “lead farmer” who had tried a rival hybrid.

In rural markets, the person a farmer trusts often matters more than the product sheet. Interviewing both farmers and dealers revealed a story neither group told on its own.

• Build on the core insight: in rural markets, the person a farmer trusts often matters more than the product sheet. Interviewing both farmers and dealers revealed a story neither group told on its own.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: the answer was neither price nor seed quality.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The client redirected part of its budget from discounts into demonstration plots with lead farmers and a dealer recognition programme for the following season.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: which channels reach farmers before sowing?