Investment in agricultural R&D is essential to feeding the world’s growing population.
For farmers in rural India, gaining access to quality products, accurate information, and fair prices can be challenging. Pune-based startup AgroStar developed a mobile-commerce platform to help. AgroStar customers order supplies using a mobile app or through the “missed call” technique. (The customer dials a number to signal the recipient but disconnects before the call is picked up and charges are incurred.) Launched in 2012, AgroStar has partnered with more than 150 brands, including multinationals such as Syngenta, and has served 7 million farmers.
In recent years, agricultural innovation has resulted in promising new ways to boost productivity, from AgroStar’s mobile solutions to drones that can analyze soil and monitor crop health. The urgent need for such R&D investment cannot be overstated. The United Nations estimates that by 2050, the world’s population will reach 9.7 billion. Ensuring adequate supplies of food will require a 70 percent increase in agricultural production over the next 30 years. These numbers present the global agricultural sector with a daunting task, especially when they are combined with the effects of climate change and resource scarcity. Already today, in parts of Africa and the Middle East, millions of people are on the brink of famine.
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