Volunteer Regional Climate & AgriTech Market Strategist

About the Opportunity

This is a unique opportunity to work alongside an Ashoka Fellow. Ashoka Fellows are recognized as leading social entrepreneurs who have undergone a rigorous selection process, validating their innovative ideas and character. They are part of the esteemed Ashoka Fellowship and Network, dedicated to addressing global challenges by building and spreading systemic social impact, undeterred by perceived impossibilities.

Please note: This is an unpaid, volunteer opportunity.

About eKutir

eKutir was founded to address a critical systemic failure in global agriculture: the fragmentation of farmers, food systems, and climate solutions, despite their deep interconnections. Billions are invested in agricultural inputs, credit, insurance, and climate programs, yet smallholder farmers often remain excluded from crucial data, markets, and decision-making processes. eKutir aims to build digital public infrastructure for agriculture, creating a shared, trusted data and transaction layer that integrates land, crops, farmers, climate, finance, and markets into a cohesive ecosystem.

eKutir primarily serves:

• Smallholder farmers and farmer collectives (FPOs, cooperatives, producer groups)
• Agri-enterprises and buyers sourcing from these farmers
• Financial institutions and insurers supporting rural livelihoods
• Governments and climate programs delivering public goods
• Food and nutrition actors seeking traceable, regenerative supply chains

These stakeholders are interconnected through eKutir's digital infrastructure, ensuring transparent value flow across the entire system. eKutir develops and operates eK Link, a Digital Agriculture Exchange—a neutral, interoperable platform functioning akin to a financial exchange but tailored for agriculture and land.

Through the eK Link platform:

• Farmers gain: A digital identity, a land and crop record, access to soil tests, advisory services, inputs, buyers, finance, and climate programs.
• Cooperatives and enterprises obtain: Real-time farmer, land, and production data, traceable sourcing, and reduced risk for lending and procurement.
• Governments and climate programs receive: Verified, field-level data, outcome-based program delivery, and tracking of carbon, soil, and livelihood impact.

AI models (ALLIN, METSA, eK Acre, eK Link) transform raw field data into actionable decision intelligence for every participant in the ecosystem. Agriculture is central to three global crises—food insecurity, farmer poverty, and climate change—yet it remains one of the least digitized and least trusted economic systems. Without field-level data, digital pathways, and interoperable platforms, trillions in climate finance, food supply chains, and public programs struggle to effectively reach farmers. eKutir is building this essential missing layer: the digital backbone that enables trusted flow of land, food, climate, and money.

For more information, please visit www.ekutirsb.com

Job Description

This project involves expanding two impactful, climate-smart agriculture and digital ecosystem initiatives into target countries across Latin America and the Caribbean (LACs), Africa, and ASEAN regions. These initiatives focus on establishing trusted digital infrastructure that links farmers, cooperatives, agri-enterprises, financial institutions, and climate programs via data-driven platforms. The core objective is to design and localize a country-specific market entry and ecosystem strategy to drive structured adoption of climate-smart agriculture solutions. This includes strategically positioning the initiatives within national agricultural priorities, climate commitments, and digital transformation agendas to ensure scalable and sustainable implementation.

Key Responsibilities of the Volunteer Regional Climate & AgriTech Market Strategist:

• Conduct thorough market research and stakeholder mapping within the assigned country.
• Identify priority segments, including farmer organizations, agri-enterprises, financial institutions, government agencies, and development partners.
• Develop a localized go-to-market and partnership strategy tailored to the region.
• Support the adaptation of positioning, messaging, and facilitate ecosystem outreach.
• Provide critical insights on regulatory, policy, and institutional dynamics that could impact implementation.

Your strategic contributions will establish the foundation for responsible and scalable adoption of climate-smart digital infrastructure in these countries. By aligning initiatives with local realities, policies, and market dynamics, you will play a key role in boosting farmer income, enhancing climate resilience, improving ecosystem transparency, and driving long-term sustainability impact.

Volunteer Logistics

• Estimated hours required per week: 12 hrs
• Estimated duration of the project: 3-6 months
• This position is Virtual (Remote)
• Language Requirements: English

Desired Skills And Experience

• Market Research & Strategic Analysis: Proven ability to conduct structured market assessments, stakeholder mapping, competitor benchmarking, and ecosystem analysis within the agriculture, climate, or digital sectors.
• Go-to-Market & Partnership Strategy: Experience or strong understanding of designing country-level market entry strategies, developing partnership pipelines, creating positioning frameworks, and establishing engagement models, particularly in B2B, institutional, or development-sector environments.
• Agriculture & Climate Ecosystem Understanding: Familiarity with climate-smart agriculture, regenerative practices, food systems, agri-finance, carbon markets, or rural development programs specific to target countries or regions.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Communication: Strong capability in engaging with diverse groups such as farmer organizations, cooperatives, agri-enterprises, financial institutions, NGOs, and government bodies. Ability to clearly articulate complex digital solutions into locally relevant value propositions.
• Policy & Regulatory Awareness: Foundational understanding of national agricultural policies, climate commitments (e.g., NDCs), digital infrastructure frameworks, or investment environments that may influence adoption.
• Strategic Communication & Content Development: Ability to contribute to pitch decks, country briefs, impact narratives, and localized messaging for broader ecosystem outreach.
• Analytical & Structured Thinking: Comfortable synthesizing data into actionable insights and developing clear, practical roadmaps for implementation.
• Impact Orientation & Cross-Cultural Competence: Strong motivation to contribute to systemic change in agriculture and climate, coupled with the ability to operate effectively across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

Key skills/competency

• Market Research
• Strategic Analysis
• Go-to-Market Strategy
• Partnership Development
• Climate-Smart Agriculture
• Digital Ecosystems
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Policy Analysis
• Cross-Cultural Communication
• Impact Assessment