Agri-Capitalisation Event: Scaling Impact with Digital and Natural Solutions in Southern Shan State

Under the theme “Tech and Nature, Fields and Futures,” Swisscontact brought altogether 102 market actors such as farmer groups and associations, agri-input suppliers, agri-business entrepreneurs, community-based organizations, solar and financial service providers, INGOs, and UNODC, to accelerate system-wide adoption of scalable solutions like SuBuu digital platform and locally produced natural fertilizers. Discussions highlighted how Subbu mobile application is helping farmers for input supply, access to finance, and service delivery, while natural fertilizer production is improving soil health, reducing input costs, and increasing resilience for smallholder farmers in Southern Shan State, Myanmar.

Two Innovations Addressing Systemic Constraints:

The event focused on two solutions that tackle root causes of market weakness:

1. The SuBuu Digital Platform: A tool improving the critical market function of information and access, reducing transaction costs for farmers seeking quality inputs and finance, and for suppliers reaching new customers.
2. Locally Produced Natural Fertilizers: An innovation that strengthens the input supply function by providing a sustainable, locally sourced alternative, building resilience and reducing import dependency.

The event moved beyond awareness to commitment. The key output was aligned around a shared 2026 strategy for 2026, driven by participant consensus on:

• Scaling with Crowd-in: Identifying pathways for private input suppliers and agri-MSMEs to lead the expansion of the SuBuu digital network.
• Building a Sustainable Supply Chain: Recognizing the impact of natural fertilizers, the project explored viable commercial models for local entrepreneurs to produce and distribute natural fertilizers.
• Aligning Incentives: Creating win-win linkages between digital service providers, finance institutions, and farmer networks to ensure the solutions are financially sustainable beyond project support.

The event demonstrated a shift from project-delivered solutions to market-embedded innovations. By strengthening the connections and incentives between diverse actors, VSDP facilitated a step towards a self-sustaining system where digital tools and eco-friendly inputs are driven by market demand and supplied by local businesses. This is how resilient agricultural market systems are built.