Real-life FarmVille lets urbanites invest in crops

iGrow is a gamified investment platform that enables Indonesian urbanites to invest in the country's farms.

There is no doubt that city-dwellers often feel detached from the food they eat and the land it comes from. Farmer’s markets and local, organic produce go some way to rectify this, which is part of the reasons for their growing success. For those who want a deeper connection, iGrow is an investment platform that enables urbanites to buy seeds that will be planted by farmers and yield both financial and edible returns.

We have already seen a crowd-management initiative in the UK and Portugal enabling investors to be involved in the financing and running of farmland. Now, iGrow is Indonesia’s equivalent. The startup connects small-scale farmers, who often struggle to secure traditional bank loans, with Jakarta city folk who can make a meaningful investment that has benefits for themselves, their society and the environment. Investors choose their seeds and are matched with the appropriate experienced farmer. Then, they can follow the progress of the crop on a FarmVille style website and receive shares of the profits when the plants are harvested. They can either choose to reinvest in the farm, take a payout or donate the money to a local charity. The startup has already given work to 2000 farmers and are in the process of building an app.

How else could micro-investments connect urban citizens with their rural counterparts?