Digital Agriculture in LMICs -22 Aug #64
After a short summer break, ArisTechia is back with its news roundup, this time focusing on India!
21/08/24
Spotlight: India invests on digital surveys to enable agri DPIs
The government of India has launched the digital geospatial platform Krishi-Decision Support System (DSS) for digital crop survey, accurate yield estimation, assessing crop damage, mapping soil and processing weather-related information. Krishi DSS is a step in facilitating the implementation of the so-called Agri Stack, the nation-wide Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for agriculture that digitises farmer and land records. The objective is to enhance decision making for farmers and other stakeholders in agricultural value chains. Krishi DSS is expected to help developing farmer-centric digital solutions including personalised advisories and accurate early warning systems.
Source: Krishi DSS dashboard, website of VEDAS, SAC, ISRO, Government of India
Several initiatives have been announced recently by the public sector as it looks to speed up the digitalisation of agricultural value chains. At a state level, last week the state of Odisha launched the e-Chasa app and portal, a digital crop survey and programme to facilitate crop production and processing. The app is expected to benefit 4.8 million farmers.
India’s so-called Digital Agriculture Mission plans to establish by 2026 a nationwide farmers registry, crop sown registry, and georeferencing of village maps. The plan is for every farmer to get a unique ID, which will support a DPI for agriculture and enhance the delivery of government-led schemes supporting the agricultural sector such as the minimum income support scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKISAN) and the insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
26/07/24
Agri e-commerce WayCool cuts staff
Indian e-commerce platform WayCool has laid off 200 staff. This is the third time in a year that the agritech company cuts its workforce. According to reports, the staff reduction is part of plans to achieve profitability. WayCool conducted layoffs in February this year and July last year. Established in 2015, the company is the third largest digital marketplace for fresh produce in India by operating revenue after DeHaat and Ninjacart. It works in staples such as rice, pulses, wheat, flour, and dairy. It has to date raised USD 342 million over 23 rounds, according to Tracxn. WayCool, which is refocusing its business on FMCG by launching its own consumer brand (initially of specialty rice), is reportedly in talks to raise USD 40 million in a round led by existing investor Lightrock.
06/08/24
Agrizy gets $9.8M Series A to expand B2B agri-processing platform
India’s Agrizy, a B2B agri-processing platform, has raised USD 9.8 million in Series A funding. The round was co-led by international nonprofit Accion and agri-focused VC Omnivore, with participation from Capria Ventures, Thai Wah Ventures, and existing investor Ankur Capital. Agrivy helps address bottlenecks in the agri-processing market. In India, only 10% of farm produce gets processed compared to China (40%) and developed nations (~70%). The platform connects stakeholders in the agrifood processing ecosystem to optimally discover and fulfil transactions.
Photo credit: Startup Rise
With the new funding, the startup plans to expand into new product areas and geographies, and to offer financial services to MSME processors and farmer-producer organizations (FPOs). Agrizy states that more than two million small food processors and smallholder farmers have used the platform since it started operations in 2021.
19/08/24
India-Australia accelerator programme calls for agritech startups
The India Australia Rapid Innovation and Startup Expansion (RISE) Accelerator is calling for agritech startups to apply to its programme designed to support businesses looking to expand between the two countries. Commencing in October, the Climate Smart Agritech cohort of the RISE Accelerator will focus on businesses with technologies and solutions that enhance agricultural productivity and resilience in the face of growing climate variability, resource scarcity and food insecurity. The programme is particularly interested in startups and SMEs with solutions that prioritise farmer needs, priorities, and on-farm practices. The RISE Accelerator was launched in 2023 and supports startups and SMEs by helping them to validate, adapt and pilot their technologies in new markets. Applications for the RISE Accelerator close on 15 September.
In other news:
19/08/24
GIZ and WFP announce innovators for climate resilience initiative
The German Development Agency (GIZ) has announced the ten startups that will be joining the sprint cohort of its Agricultural Innovation for Climate Resilience Programme (AICR). The programme is a partnership between the GIZ through its Fund for the Promotion of Innovation in Agriculture (i4Ag) and the World Food Programme (WFP) through its Innovation Accelerator. The programme’s objective is to support scalable innovations that support farmers and other agriculture stakeholders to mitigate effects of climate change in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Besides mentorship and access to a global network, AICR offers up to USD 150,000 in equity-free funding for the implementation of a proposed growth plan. Among the ten awardees is Farmer Lifeline Technologies, a Kenyan-based start-up that developed a proprietary AI technology supporting smallholder farmers with managing crop pests and pathogens. A full list of the ten innovation teams selected can be found here.