According to a report by Bain & Company and Acumen, many small farmers in developing countries are geographically isolated and lack access to the information and capital they need to make their farms more productive and financially stable. Along with charitable groups and government agencies, a growing wave of for-profit enterprises—what Acumen and Bain call "pioneer firms"—have been taking on the challenge, banking on the power of the market to develop a new customer base and find solutions.