Agriculture is among the most ancient of industries that finally woke up to the mighty power of AI. In India, where farming constitutes such a vital part of the economy, an entire spate of AI-powered startups is offering newer solutions to age-old problems. These businesses are using technology to help farmers grow better crops, predict weather, improve soil health-even prevent crop diseases.
But it’s not just about the use of new tools; it’s about improving lives. Equipped with AI, Indian farmers are raising better yields of their crops, minimizing risks, and earning more to strengthen village economies. So, wondering which startups are leading this change? Continue reading to find out about the ten Indian startups that will shape the future of farming in 2024.
10. Intello Labs
Intello Labs is helping farmers and businesses by using AI in determining the quality of crops, fruits, and vegetables. Other than relying on manual and traditional ways that prove to be time-consuming and/or vague, Intello Labs provides a faster and automatic method for classifying and grading the produce. This ensures that farmers get fair prices for their crops and cuts down on the possibility of some ending up as waste. For example, technology from Intello Labs lets a farmer get immediate clarity on the quality of his produce, thereby enabling him to make correct pricing decisions and minimize losses.
Intello Labs make the quality-checking process faster and more reliable, hence simplifying the supply chain for the farmers and businesses. Consistent standards minimize disputes between buyer and seller as per their system. Farmers will be able to focus more on the growth of their produce, instead of spending much time on its quality checking. Ultimately, the costs become lesser with less wastage, earning better returns on every level of this agricultural value chain.
Visit the official website here: Intello Labs
9. Niqo Robotics
Niqo Robotics changes the face of caring for crops by farmers, introducing AI technology into farming and making the activity highly efficient and friendlier to the environment. Whereas there is a use of spraying over an entire field with chemicals-a very resource-wasting procedure and harmful to the environment-the technology of Niqo sprays only those plants in need. In this respect, this cherry-picking method helps farmers save as much as 90% of chemicals and reduces costs while preserving the land.
What really sets Niqo Robotics apart, however, is the fact that it retrofits the AI-powered Niqo Sense camera into existing farm machinery. The camera enables machines to “see” plants and spray just the right amount of chemicals directly on them, hence avoiding unnecessary application waste. This technology saves money but at the same time cleans up the health of crops and helps build toward a more sustainable farming future.
Visit the official website here: Niqo Robotics
8. Fasal
Fasal was founded in 2018 with the aim of changing farming in India by marrying traditional farming with the latest technologies. Equipped with intelligent tools like Artificial Intelligence and sensors, Fasal offers actionable insights to farmers regarding the best way to tend their crops. It advises on issues to do with irrigation time, fertilizer application, or how to protect them against some pests.
Fasal gives them real-time information about the conditions on each farm so they can make better decisions for healthier, higher-yielding crops. It saves resources including water and pesticides by reducing wastage and increasing efficiency, helping the farmers to “grow more, grow better.” It also offers weather forecasts and soil condition monitoring to make farmers aware of impending risks related to untimely rains or drought. It strives to ensure all farmers farm smarter, use resources better, and increase incomes by melding the best of traditional farming with the power of technology.
Visit the official website here: Fasal
7. Crofarm
Crofarm was founded in the year 2016. It bridges the gap from farm to table by creating a backward-integrated, sustainable, and equitable supply chain. The company’s vision is to enable every consumer to get fresh, nutritious, and affordable produce while rewarding farmers for growing better quality food. This connects the farmers directly to retailers, removing irrelevant middlemen from the chain. This helps the farmers to get a better price for their produce and reduces the overall wastage of food.
Today, by leveraging AI-driven demand prediction and streamlining supply chains, Crofarm has managed to cut fresh produce wastage from 40% to just about 3%. The AI-driven platform of Crofarm precariously predicts consumer demand, enabling farmers to grow the right quantity and hence deliver greens faster-fresh to markets. This does not only surge farmers’ income but equally distributes fresh and quality food to consumers at a fair price, hence turning out to be a win-win situation for all the beneficiaries.
Visit the official website here: Crofarm
6. FarmERP
FarmERP is a user-friendly online platform for farmers and agribusinesses to better manage their farms. The organization will provide necessary information to the farmers on diseases, pests, and soil quality through real-time updates on the health of the crops so that they can make prompt decisions. FarmERP will also let users predict the weather for better planning of harvests and efficient use of water and fertilizers. It leads to healthier crops, better yields, and wiser decision-making.
Above crop management, FarmERP even supports livestock care and affords complete clarity into the supply chain. It gathers key information about the farm and interprets it to provide actionable, comprehensible suggestions aimed at augmenting the productivity of the farm. Using simple yet advanced technology, FarmERP empowers farmers to minimize risks, optimize resources, and stay competitive in this ever-evolving farming space.
Visit the official website here: FarmERP
5. DeHaat
DeHaat revolutionizes farming in India-a single-point destination for all farmers. Among the fastest-growing agri-tech startups, DeHaat links more than 11,000 centers and more than 503 farmer groups to help the farmers gain access to quality seeds, fertilizers, and expert advice. It supports more than 1.8 million farmers across 12 states. The DeHaat app provides farmers with personalized advice on crops, offers weather updates, and even gives local market prices in regional languages.
In addition, AI-enabled real-time advisories on crop health, pesticide usage, water application, etc., are being extended through the DeHaat platform. With the help of the app, they are able to purchase farm inputs and sell their produce at ease. DeHaat also links farmers with finance services in the form of loans and insurance. Thus, it helps farmers a great deal in creating and managing their risks better and improving their incomes.
Visit the official website here: DeHaat
4. Stellapps
For India’s dairy farmers, Stellapps makes a big difference. Based in Bengaluru, Stellapps was founded in 2011 and is the country’s first startup to digitize the dairy supply chain. Smart technology-like AI and IoT is provided to farmers on its SmartMoo™ platform to better their production, collection, and delivery of milk. That means farmers can make more money with less effort. With the use of the technology provided by Stellapps, two billion liters of milk are traced and managed every year to enhance quality and traceability at every touch point.
Furthermore, Stellapps’ SmartMoo gathers data from sensors on milking machines, animal wearables, and milk cooling systems. Data is then relayed to farmers and cooperatives via easy-to-use mobile applications. This will enable farmers to monitor the quality of milk, keep healthy cattle, and manage their supply chains more effectively. Stellapps also facilitates access to services such as cattle insurance for farmers, thus offering additional financial security.
Visit the official website here: Stellapps
3. AgNext
AgNext is working to leverage AI and machine learning to resolve one of the major pain points in agriculture-quality assessment. Its Artificial Intelligence-driven solutions enable real-time quality assessment of agricultural produce, which helps build transparency and trust in the supply chain.
AgNext uses AI to standardize quality checks, hence reducing discrepancies between buyers and sellers. This does not only contribute to the enhancement of transaction reliability but also ensures that farmers get better prices for their quality produce. For farmers, this means more predictable income streams, while buyers can make better decisions that reduce financial risks on both sides.
Visit the official website here: AgNext
2. SatSure
SatSure empowers farmers and businesses with valuable insights into weather, soil, and crop health by accessing and analyzing satellite imagery. This enables farmers to take prompt action against any changes, such as droughts, floods, or heavy rains. They can plan better regarding the planting, irrigating, and harvesting with this information for healthier crops and extra profit. Farmers will not suffer losses because they would actually know what is happening on their grounds without having to physically go to the fields all the time.
SatSure does help banking and insurance, too: they get deeper insight into risks involved based on data provided by SatSure, hence making it easier for them to dole out loans and insurance to farmers. This in turn also helps governments to formulate better programs for farmers.
Visit the official website here: SatSure
1. Cropin
Cropin is changing the face of agriculture with its easy-to-operate AI platform, which is known as Cropin Sage. The platform supports better decision-making w.r.t. crops by farmers, businesses, and governments in real time. This takes into consideration weather trends, soil condition, and past crop performance to suggest the right crop at the right time and using available resources judiciously. This helps the farmer to increase their crops, avoid risks, and improve earnings.
In addition to this, Cropin Sage uses larger data sets for global future predictions of farming challenges. It illustrates, for example, how climate change would affect crops or underlines ideal future areas to grow a specific crop. In so doing, it ensures a stable food supply, cuts down on waste, and efficiencies and profitability for all the actors in the chain.
Visit the official website here: Cropin
So, which AI-driven agri-tech startup do you think will have the biggest impact on farming in the coming years?How do you see AI shaping the future of agriculture in India? Share in the comment section below!