"For many farmers in rural Myanmar, Facebook embodies the internet. With scarce availability of WiFi, they often reserve their mobile data usage for the social network. That habit is difficult to break. Adrian Soe Myint, CEO of Yangon-based agritech startup Village Link, said it was challenging to convince farmers to allot part of their mobile data for the startup’s app, Htwet Toe, which means “higher yield.” The app’s name is exactly what Soe Myint wants for farmers in his country. Founded in 2016, the startup uses mobile technology to connect farmers and other stakeholders in Myanmar’s agriculture sector, which accounts for 38% of the country’s gross domestic product, as estimated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. But agricultural productivity in Myanmar is extremely low – the national output falls far behind that of neighboring countries. In a blog post, the World Bank explains how the country has not been able to capitalize on its “fertile soils and abundant water source.” A rice farmer in Myanmar generates only 23 kilograms of paddy after one working day during monsoon season, compared to Vietnam’s output of 429 kilograms and Thailand’s 547 kilograms..."