The Agri-tech Revolution
Food-tech, check. Ed-tech, check. Today, we cover another important revolution of our time. What's happening in this space?
The new-age tech-startup era has taken the world by storm. The solutions to all our problems are just a few taps away.
Book a cab: Uber; Book a salon service: Urban Company; Order Food: Zomato.
These startups have garnered a lot of fame, and are always on the top of our minds. But, away from all the hustle, there is a sector that impacts us daily. So much so, that a whopping 58% of India’s population and 70% of all rural households depend on it.
Yes. We are talking about agriculture. Almost immediately you are transferred to a lush green field with scarecrows and farmers doing their irrigation work. You imagine it to be a remote land, far-off from the real world, a world that has advanced so much in every other sphere.
But has agriculture, the sector that literally puts food on our plates, kept up with these changes?
Well. There are 1,017 agri-tech startups in India trying to solve the agriculture woes.
But, what are these problems? And, can tech solve for those?
Traditionally, farming in India is a highly risky proposition. The entire process from sowing seeds to harvesting crops is at the mercy of weather. Once (if at all) they have a nice harvest, they are met with the next problem: being able to fetch a fair price for their produce.
Enter, agri-tech startups trying to solve problems across all stages. Here’s how they go about deploying tech:
Capturing Farm Data
Startups use soil sensors, imaging drones, and IoT devices to collect data from farms. They use this data to understand the dynamics of the weather and the farming land, and predict the actions that are required for the best future outcomes. This is how they advise farmers to help them increase crop yield. Gramophone is one such startup operating in this space with more than 8 lakh users. It charges the farmer Rs. 1,999 per crop season.
Supply Chain solutions
There are startups that help farmers source the most suitable inputs for their crops at the best prices, as well as solve for taking their products to the market. Ninjakart is a top startup in this space.
On the other hand, there are startups that are assisting farmers throughout the cycle. Aibono is one such. Its process starts right from predicting the demand of crops, understanding the weather conditions, suggesting the farmers the right course of action and input materials required, to the final sales of the yield. They say, how will they control the output, if they don’t have checks in place to ensure high quality inputs. Phew! But Fair point, no?
Connectivity
Wouldn’t it be cool if farmers could interact with experts across geographies, vet doctors for their farm animals, potential customers of their yields, just like that?
Of course, we have social media for that. But come on, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are just not suited for the purpose.
And so a startup called Krishify was born: Facebook and LinkedIn for everyone in the agri space.
Looks like the young and the bold India is paying agriculture its due share of importance. But, the important question is: How are they going to make money out of it?
82% of farmers in the Indian landscape belong to the small and marginal category. An average Indian farmer earns only Rs. 6,426 per month. They can barely make both ends meet. How then are they going to be able to afford the posh services of such startups?
If the startups solve the problems only for the rich farmers, a large chunk of the agricultural society will fall behind all the more. Do you have a solution to the troubles of the marginalised farmers? Share your thoughts!
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I think farm touring also helps to increase the demand of farming thus works like advertising.
Collective farming although it has a demerit that small farms should be near and the should unite together.