New Delhi, Aug 27, 2024: Four organizations have been selected to advance to the final phase of the DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge which aims to transform water use efficiency and boost productivity for India's smallholder farmers.
The competition is being organised by the DCM Shriram Foundation in collaboration with The/Nudge Institute's Centre for Social Innovation and the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (GoI). It was launched in June 2023.
The four organizations which have been selected to advance to the final phase of the challenge are: EF Polymer - specializing in bio-inputs that enhance soil moisture retention; CultYVate - providing advanced advisory services to optimize water use in farming; Industill - innovating in the automation of irrigation systems for precise water management; and Phyfarm - developing scalable solutions to increase water efficiency in agriculture.
Over the past ten months, these technologies have been deployed across multiple agro-climatic zones in India, targeting some of the country's most pressing agricultural challenges.
Each of these organizations will receive a milestone grant of Rs 15 lakh to scale their technologies and improve water use efficiency and profitability for smallholder farmers.
The final phase of the challenge will commence in September 2024, and the winner will be announced in February 2025. The most impactful and scalable innovation will receive a grant of Rs 2 crore, making it one of the most generous grants available for sustainable agricultural interventions.
Speaking about the challenge, Aman Pannu, President, DCM Shriram Foundation, said, “The DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge is a critical initiative aimed at addressing water-related challenges in agriculture, especially for smallholder farmers who are the backbone of India’s agricultural economy. The midline evaluation has highlighted the potential of several ground-breaking innovations that promise significant contributions to water conservation and enhanced productivity. The evaluation process itself was meticulous, spanning over two months and involving field visits across eight states. These visits included on-ground assessments of the selected technologies in action, with hundreds of farmers being interviewed to gauge the impact and effectiveness of the innovations. I want to congratulate the four winning organizations for solving for this problem and being awarded the milestone grant. As we move into the final phase, we are excited to see these technologies scale and make a tangible impact on the lives of millions of farmers across the country.”
Kanishka Chatterjee, Director, The/Nudge Prize, said, “Innovating for efficient water utilisation in agriculture is essential for the future of smallholder farming in India. While progress has been made in developing solutions for agri-water challenges, affordable and accessible models for marginal farmers remain scarce. The midline evaluation of the DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge has demonstrated that there are viable, scalable solutions capable of addressing the complex water challenges of land productivity, pricing, and market instability our farmers face. The challenge is designed to encourage AgTech to rapidly innovate, showcase, and implement solutions to address these issues. By enhancing water efficiency in agriculture, these innovations have the potential to significantly improve the livelihoods of over 150 million smallholder farmers across India."
The DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge has the potential to significantly improve the livelihoods of over 600 million smallholder farmers across India by enhancing water efficiency in agriculture, the company said in a press release.
