Entrepreneurship with a design for social justice mindset: A case for Hello Tractor

Abstract

E-mechanization focused start-up Hello Tractor serves as a case study to contrast two different technological design strategies such as Human Centered Design for Communities (HCD for Communities) and Design for Social Justice. Both HCD for Communities and Design for Social Justice are explained and seven key criteria of a Design for Social Justice strategy are presented and discussed with information from Hello Tractor. This serves as an example of a start-up that at first glance can seem to be a social justice focused project but instead is more aligned with a HCD for Communities strategy. Even though Hello Tractor is a successful start-up and has impacted more than 500,000 smallholder farmers in Africa with its technology, pivoting from a HCD for Communities strategy to a Design for Social Justice strategy may be beneficial for its future and this discussion may serve as inspiration for aspiring Agri-FoodTech entrepreneurs that want to develop Disruptive Agricultural Technologies (DATs) for the benefit of society and with social justice in mind.