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“Customised formulations ensure precise nutrient delivery”
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Monday, 02 June, 2025, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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 >Precision farming, leveraging AI and IoT, enables farmers to optimise inputs like water and fertilisers, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Micro drip irrigation and smart sensors, are being adopted to address water scarcity challenges. Circular farming practices, like manure recycling and on-farm composting, are gaining traction, promoting resource efficiency and waste minimisation. All these practices are ploughing sustainable agricultural practices globally and in India, said Amit Guptan, CEO and co-founder, Agrifields DMCC in Dubai, in an email interview with Nandita Vijayasimha. Excerpts:
What is the current scene for sustainable agriculture globally and in India?
Sustainable agriculture is gaining global momentum in 2025, driven by the urgent need to address climate change, food security and environmental degradation. Innovations such as AI-powered precision farming, regenerative practices and microbial solutions are paving the way for a more productive and climate smart agricultural system.
In India, agriculture remains a vital sector, employing over half the population and contributing significantly to the GDP. However, challenges like erratic weather patterns, soil degradation and water scarcity threaten its sustainability. While policies aim to enhance productivity and cost-effectiveness, they often overlook the socio-economic disparities and the nuanced impacts of climate change on agriculture.
To ensure a sustainable agricultural future, both globally and in India, there is a pressing need to align policies with climate realities, invest in regenerative practices and support smallholder farmers through education and infrastructure development.
What are the visible trends in this space?
In 2025, sustainable agriculture is characterised by several key trends globally and in India. Precision farming, leveraging AI and IoT, enables farmers to optimise inputs like water and fertilisers, enhancing efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Water-saving technologies such as micro drip irrigation and smart sensors, are being adopted to address water scarcity challenges. Circular farming practices, including manure recycling and on-farm composting, are gaining traction, promoting resource efficiency and waste minimisation.
In India, urban agriculture is on the rise, with rooftop gardens and community-supported agriculture initiatives enhancing food security and community engagement. The integration of renewable energy, such as solar-powered irrigation systems, is reducing reliance on fossil fuels and lowering operational costs. AgriTech startups are playing a pivotal role in this transformation, offering innovative solutions and receiving increased attention and funding.
These trends reflect a global shift towards sustainable practices that balance productivity with ecological responsibility, ensuring food security and environmental resilience for future generations.
What are the challenges faced in the agri-sector to plough through rising food demands, climate change, and soil degradation?
The agricultural sector faces significant challenges in meeting rising food demands amidst climate change and soil degradation. Climate change disrupts food availability, access and quality due to increased temperatures, altered precipitation patterns and extreme weather events, leading to reduced agricultural productivity. These changes can result in decreased crop yields and livestock productivity, threatening food security. Soil degradation further exacerbates these issues. Intensive farming practices have led to the degradation of over 60% of the European Union’s agricultural soils and about 40% of British soils, compromising soil structure and water retention. This degradation diminishes nature’s ability to buffer extreme weather events, undermining environmental resilience and food security.
To address these challenges, a multifaceted approach is necessary. This includes adopting climate-resilient agricultural practices, investing in soil health restoration and implementing policies that support sustainable farming. By enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems, it is possible to ensure food security and environmental sustainability in the face of climate change and soil degradation.
What kind of research and development is taking place in the company?
We continually invest in R&D to design next-generation fertiliser solutions and advance agritech innovations. Our global research spans soil health improvement, crop nutrient mapping and precision agriculture systems. Notably, the company is developing smart fertilisers that respond to crop stages, helping to reduce input waste and boost nutrient uptake. Collaborations with international agronomic research institutions enable us stay at the forefront of innovation, tailoring technologies to different agro-climatic zones, especially in regions with resource-constrained farmers.
You mentioned upcoming ‘Prescription Fertilisers’ are transforming crop productivity and soil health. Elaborate.
The upcoming ‘Prescription Fertilisers’ are developed through an integrated process combining remote sensing, AI-based soil analytics and crop-specific nutritional profiling. These customised formulations ensure precise nutrient delivery, improving soil organic matter and restoring microbial balance. Field trials have demonstrated up to 25% improvement in yield and a significant reduction in soil nutrient depletion when compared to traditional fertilisers.
How is the company working to drive both profit and purpose in rural farming ecosystems?
Our vision of inclusive growth is reflected in its dual approach which is strengthening economic viability for farmers while enhancing community well-being. Through the Agrifields Foundation, it supports rural livelihoods by providing education, technical support and market access. The transformation of Rellivalasa village in Andhra Pradesh is a flagship initiative, addressing sanitation, digital literacy, women’s health and skill development. Additionally, we support farmer producer organisations (FPOs) to enhance collective bargaining and increase profitability.
What are the localised agritech practices being developed by your company for small landholders?
To empower smallholders, we are developing region-specific agritech models. These include affordable drone services for pest surveillance and spraying, portable soil-testing kits, mobile-based advisory services and solar-powered irrigation systems. The company is creating a tech-enabled advisory platform which delivers customised recommendations based on real-time weather data and soil health, enabling small-scale farmers to make informed decisions. Pilots in states like Maharashtra and Karnataka show a 15–20% increase in productivity where these tools have been trialed.
In your view, how much of tech like AI-driven soil analytics, drone-based spraying is adopted on Indian farmlands, and how much needs to be done to maximise technology?
The adoption of technologies like AI-driven analytics and drone-based spraying in India is still nascent but gaining traction, particularly in progressive farming states. Government schemes like the Kisan Drone Yojana have laid the foundation, but barriers remain in cost, awareness and accessibility. Less than 10% of small and marginal farmers currently use such technologies. To scale adoption, we advocate public-private partnerships to subsidise tools, expand digital infrastructure and train extension workers to support last-mile outreach.
What are the training, soil education, and market access programmes conducted by your company?
We regularly support farmer workshops on sustainable practices, efficient fertiliser use and integrated pest management. The soil education programmes train farmers to interpret soil test results and adopt better nutrient management. Market linkage support recommends farmers aggregate produce through FPOs and connecting them to premium buyers via digital platforms. These efforts are supported by virtual demo plots and community resource centres, ensuring continuous learning and practical exposure.
Going forward, what is the company’s roadmap to a climate-smart, technology-powered agri-ecosystem amid evolving global challenges?
We aim to build a resilient, climate-smart ecosystem by scaling regenerative agriculture, digitising farming operations, and deploying climate forecasting tools. Our roadmap includes expanding biofertiliser portfolios, integrating carbon credit programmes for farmers, and supporting water-smart farming technologies. The company is also investing in blockchain-based traceability systems to improve food safety and transparency. These efforts align with SDG goals, positioning us as a long-term partner in food security and climate action.
The company has built a distinctive model that merges R&D with grassroots farmer empowerment across key markets like India and the Philippines. Explain.
We follow a bottom-up innovation model merging global R&D capabilities with on-ground engagement in key markets. In India and the Philippines, the company collaborates with local academic institutions, NGOs and farmer cooperatives to co-create solutions tailored to local challenges. Pilot projects in tribal and rainfed regions test innovations before scaling. This grassroots-centric approach ensures technology relevance, better adoption rates and long-term impact. The result is a smarter ecosystem where research and social empowerment reinforce each other, creating measurable change in the livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
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