The agricultural sector is a central pillar of the Indian & Southeast Asian economies, employing 40-50% of the workforce and providing a significant contribution towards the GDP. However, productivity and yield remain a challenge, and hence poverty and malnutrition in rural areas remains high. In addition, water shortages, a changing climate, and fragmented land holdings make it difficult for millions of smallholder farmers to feed their families, much less earn a profit from their labour. 

Below are some aspects of indian agriculture that need to be addressed :-

Both India and Southeast Asia have some of the youngest demographics in the world and with a median age below 30 years, a significant part of the population is of the education age-group. However, the gross enrollment ratio (GER) for primary education in these geographies remains below 30%, which is much lower than the ~70% GER seen in developed parts of the world. With over 500 million people in the primary and secondary education bracket, providing access to quality education remains one of the largest challenges facing nations in the region. The need for quality online education has become more apparent since COVID19 closed traditional schools and Universities for over 18 months.

The global average contribution to GDP of the Logistics sector is ~6-8%, however, in India and Southeast Asia, this figure is anywhere between 10-15%. Additionally, logistics as a sector is responsible for a significant portion of employment in these geographies and is the leading employer of blue and grey collared workers. Digitization and removal of inefficiencies from the sector clubbed with modernization of regulations and private intervention could potentially catalyze job creation, formalization of the blue-collar workforce as well as provision of necessary social benefits.

The problems facing nations like India and in Southeast Asia stretch beyond direct tangible impact and the sometimes-rigid social fabric of these countries causes deep-rooted issues. We at Earlsfield Capital believe that although direct impact is measurable, we will consistently strive to create formal frameworks for problems that go beyond economical gains and address social and societal constraints. Gender equality and minority representation warrants continuous focus, not just through our investments, but through added initiatives that catalyze the journey to equality and uniformity versus marginalization.

We invest in companies and sectors that have the potential to create mass impact across the value chain and make a fundamental difference to people’s lives. Our decisions on investment sectors are in line with ‘Social Development Goals’ designed by the United Nations, that recognize the world’s most important global challenges.