Smart agri Industry creates roadmap for sustainable future through ESG investments 

ESG investors are expected to drive capital flows to help farmers overcome livelihood and other barriers to adopting environmentally friendly smart technologies

Stakeholders are establishing ethos to bolster environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in the smart agriculture industry. Forward-looking players are enriching the lives of producers and consumers through sustainable innovation to minimise environmental footprint. State-of-the-art technologies, including precision farming, automation, sensors and cloud computing, have become the next big thing in the agriculture industry. ESG investors are expected to drive capital flows to help farmers overcome livelihood and other barriers to adopting environmentally friendly smart technologies.

Governing bodies and watchdogs have vouched for building resilience for people, agricultural food systems and sustainability to augment agricultural productivity and incomes. An unprecedented spike in the global population and shifting diets have spurred the demand for smart agriculture to manage cropland, forests and livestock.

A feature story on the World Bank website claimed that acute food insecurity in 2023 could overtake the food crisis witnessed in 2007-2008. With agriculture being prone to climate change, weather variability, soaring temperature and invasive crops have elicited challenges and opportunities for investors and other stakeholders. The World Bank infers that agriculture produces around 19–29 per cent of total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

ESG investors are expected to drive capital