Media Monitor
Agriculture Industry
The TransFARMation Project: From Animal Farming To Growing Plantsedit
Plantbasednews – Online
The latest episode of The Plant Based News Podcast features vegan agricultural economist Rashmit Arora, who is part of the vital TransFARMation project.
The project is run by the animal protection charity Mercy For Animals and helps farmers transition to growing plant-based crops. Thus, revolutionizing the current system which, he says ‘exploits anything in its path’.
Rashmit discusses growing up in India, where the dairy industry is still dominated by small farmers. Attitudes towards farmers need to change – and it’s all tied up in privilege, he explains.
Project to scale resource-efficient cotton farmingedit
Just-style – Online
A new two-year project has launched to pilot what is described as a radically resourceefficient cotton farming technology, with the goal of ultimately scaling the solution in key regions where cotton agriculture is challenged by limited resources such as water and few solutions for pest control. Spearheaded by global sustainable fashion innovation platform Fashion for Good, the project launches today (26 January) with operational and financial support from Kering, PVH Corp, and global textile manufacturer Arvind Limited. It will investigate technology developed by Fashion for Good innovator, Materra (formerly hydroCotton).
Agri-Food Startups To Play Key Role In Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Ramesh Pokhriyaledit
NDTV – Online
The country’s agriculture sector, including farmers and villagers, are the pillars of Atmanirbhar Bharat or self-reliant India, and the role of agri-food startups will be very important in developing a self-reliant India, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ said yesterday. The minister on January 25 flagged off the Agri-Food Techathon at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur and laid the foundation for the Agri-Business Incubation Centre.
Addressing the first Agri-Food Techathon organized by NABARD and IIT Kharagpur, Mr Pokhriyal said: I am happy that Agri-Food Tekathon is associated with Shastri’s ideal of ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’. Shastri started the Green Revolution to make India self-reliant. He believed in the powers of farmers to bring a revolution ...
Bengaluru Startup Helps Farmers Grow Healthy Crops, Save 50 Million Litres of Wateredit
The Better India – Online
Roshan Zalte, a grape farmer from Maharashtra, rushed to his vineyard one morning to inspect his crop after a mobile app suggested his crop was infected with a common fungal disease called Downy Mildew. On inspecting some of the leaves, he found it to be true. “The crop seemed to be okay on the surface, but a closer look revealed the beginning of the infection,” says Roshan, who has a vineyard spread across 15 acres of land.
A few months earlier, the grape farmer had installed a device in his vineyard that claimed to help analyse weather conditions, predict diseases infesting his crop along with guiding him through their entire growth trajectory. The data would ...
Ushering in the dawn of diversification in agricultureedit
The New Indian Express – Online
The farmers’ agitating on the Delhi borders are preparing to take out a tractor rally on the Republic Day in the backdrop of a deadlock in negotiations with the Centre over the three farm laws. While the Supreme Court has constituted an expert committee, it is yet to make progress. The current agitation has sparked a debate on the systemic problems plaguing agriculture. Bottlenecks at each stage have contributed to the stagnation of farm incomes.
This is in stark contrast to that of the Netherlands, the second biggest exporter of vegetables. It has achieved this despite its proximity to the Arctic Circle and a higher population density than India. The Dutch balanced the latest ...
Technology in Agriculture
Technology Can Solve Many of Agriculture’s Challengesedit
APN News – Online
Technology is the mainstay of the modern world. Therefore, it has a critical role to play in modern agricultural practices also. But looking at an average farmland, one will find it almost conspicuous in its absence. Entering the third decade of the new millennium and at a time when India has earned a reputation for its technological prowess, one needs to introspect why India’s agriculture is still stuck in the previous century. We have reached space and under the sea, and yet agriculture remains one of the most labour-intensive sectors. The bigger issue is, even in the 21st century, Indian farmers are dependent on Monsoon rain and struggle to fetch the right price for their produce when ...
India: DeHaat Raises US$30M for Business-to-Farmer Tech Platformedit
Agribusiness – Online
Once overlooked, agritech startups are beginning to have a moment in India, reports TechCrunch.
On Tuesday, DeHaat, an online platform that offers full-stack agricultural services to farmers, said it has raised $30 million in a new financing round as the Indian firm looks to maintain its accelerated growth despite the pandemic.
Prosus Ventures, formerly known as Naspers Ventures, led Patna and Gurgaon-based startup’s Series C financing round. RTP Global and existing investors Sequoia Capital India, FMO, Omnivore and AgFunder also participated, bringing the startup’s to-date raise to over $46 million. (Dexter Capital was the advisor for this funding round.)