Indian farmers have three major problems water, weed and pests. They struggle to maintain the crops cycles due to the scarcity of water. The Weeds also compete with the crop for water, nutrients and space thus farmers have to invest a huge deal of labor and time to get rid of the weeds in the field. Another problem is pests, they destroy the crops. The existing method of pesticide delivery is supplying the whole field with an overabundance of pesticides degrades the soil quality and pollutes water.
We aim to solve these problems in agriculture to increase the yield of farms, which will help us meet the demands of the population. We also want to curb down the use of Pesticides and Weedcides for healthy food.
Our solution is an agronomic device that performs localized irrigation, weed control and, localized pesticide delivery. Localized irrigation and pesticide delivery saves water and reduces pesticide use. This device will come in a roll and has to simply be rolled off in the field and tucked into the soil. It is suitable for vegetables and other similar crops. It is designed to last multiple seasons and the cropping pattern can be changed from season to season in the same device.
We estimate that the solution will increase the yield up to 120% to 160% depending on the crop with the minimal amount of inputs, saving 40 to 60% of the water used for irrigation, almost no requirement of weedicides. The product increases the income of an average Indian farmer with lesser inputs and fewer health hazards in an eco-friendly manner saving more water and soil.
Our target market is precision farming and organic farming which are two emerging concepts in the field of urban agriculture. The global market of Precision Farming is expected to grow at CAGR of 12% and estimated to reach the market size of US ~$7 billion by the end of the forecast period. Whereas for organic farming the current Indian domestic market is estimated at INR 40,000 million which is likely to increase to INR 100,000 million — INR 120,000 million by 2020 with a similar increase in exports.
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