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HomePosts Tagged "Partnership"
Agrotech, Collaborations, Company News, Digital Technologies, India, Inputs, Supply Chain

The partnership will support farmers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the first phase of execution.

 Bayer, a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of healthcare and agriculture, announced its partnership with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY)’s Common Service Center (CSC-SPV), a strategic cornerstone of the National e-governance plan which aims to usher rural India into a digitally empowered era and foster a knowledge-based economy. The strategic collaboration aims to provide Indian farmers with access to quality agri-inputs through digital capability building and strengthen rural livelihoods and farm incomes. The partnership will support farmers in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in the first phase of execution. Besides access to the entire range of Bayer’s agri-solutions from seed to harvest, farmers can also avail of crop-specific agronomic advisory through CSC’s online platform.

As part of the MoU, Smallholder farmers will be able to access timely crop advisory, transfer of good agricultural practices and access to premium Bayer products through CSC’s online portal. Gram Unnati will facilitate farmer mobilization and ensure market linkages. Together, Bayer and CSC-SPV aim to empower over 500,000 (0.5 million) smallholder farmers over the next two years. To facilitate easy access to quality inputs, agronomic support, and encourage agri-technology knowledge transfer based on the latest practices, Bayer will also nurture agri-entrepreneurs by leveraging village-level entrepreneurs of CSCs from within the local communities. The newly announced partnership follows an ongoing pilot engagement project running between Better Life Farming centres and CSC in Jharkhand’s Lohardega district since late 2020.

Simon-Thorsten Wiebusch, President, Bayer South Asia said, “Smallholder farmers are vital in ensuring food and nutritional security in the country and Bayer is dedicated to empowering them through the expansion of access to essential agricultural inputs and expert agronomic guidance, driven by digital innovation and collectivization. Our association with the Government of India’s Common Service Center and Gram Unnati will help bring us closer to our shared goal of empowering farmers as we bridge the gap to remote farming communities, promote financial literacy and foster an entrepreneurial spirit leading to optimized resource utilization, and maximizing farm potential to enhance their livelihoods sustainably.”

Sanjay Rakesh, MD & CEO, CSC-SPV said, “We are excited to collaborate with Bayer and strengthen our e-commerce platform to scale support to smallholder farmers through our technology-powered ecosystem. By leveraging our synergies with Bayer Crop Science Limited, we envision sustained enhancements in rural agriculture within the identified centres. This partnership will enable last mile access to tailored solutions, to better support the rural community and agri-entrepreneurs.”

Aneesh Jain, Founder & CEO, Gram Unnati said: “We are extremely delighted to work with Bayer CropScience and CSC e-Governance to play the role of a key facilitator in this ground-breaking association. We are already developing a system with CSC e-Governance to enable farmers to sell their end produce through the VLE network. This collaboration will enable farmers to get timely access to high quality agri inputs, thus further improving their crop quality and yields too.”

The CSC scheme, a collaborative e-governance platform, is part of the Digital India programme. The Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) aims to facilitate the delivery of government, private and social sector services to Indian citizens through the CSC network. It supports linkages, connecting villages in India through high-speed internet and scaling the delivery of products & services to reach the last mile.

The partnership will support farmers in Telangana,

India, Sustainability, Water

The collaboration agreement states that the joint validation trials of Plasma-sized WaterTM applications for Agriculture, R&D activities, Agro-Forestry & other agriculture-related uses will be conducted at a large scale & multiple centres/nurseries of the Heartfulness Institute

The Indian subsidiary of US Agri-Tech company Plasma Water Solutions Inc. announced a very unique and promising partnership with one of the leading global NGOs of India, The Heartfulness Institute. The two organisations have signed a collaboration agreement to promote the common purpose of enabling food security most sustainably & introducing the Green Revolution 2.0 from India to the rest of the world.

Plasma Water Solutions’ proprietary breakthrough cold-plasma technology converts water from any source, in continuous flow & real-time, to Plasma-sized WaterTM (PW). PW technology is used for seed treatment, crop spray and irrigation to enhance productivity through faster and more efficient germination, and accelerated growth, preventing the transmission of plant pathogens and enhancing stress tolerance during the crop cycle.

“The institute has been promoting good agriculture practices, training farmers in natural solutions and methods to promote plant health, soil health & water health without harming the environment while enhancing food productivity and farmers’ income which is in perfect alignment with the value proposition that Plasma Waters technology offers,” said Robert Hardt, President & CEO, Plasma Water Solutions Inc, USA, while expressing his gratitude to the President of Heartfulness Institute, Kamlesh D Patel (Daaji), & the Heartfulness team for the proactive support extended in the last several months. He further said that he sees Heartfulness as a strategic partner in shaping the company’s R&D efforts meaningfully in India & spreading the outcome to the rest of the world.

Different teams at Kanha Shantivanam have been testing the effects of Plasma Waters treatment on seeds, disease and plant health for the last several months as this was the first site of the company through Samunnati in India. This 1700-acre campus has been extensively using Plasma Waters sprays on multiple crops, vegetables, fruits, medicinal plants & trees. Applications range from treating 250 Neem trees’ dieback issues, 350 Papaya plants’ mosaic virus infestation, 74 date palm trees  & 22 Pongamia Pinnata trees’ infestation to seed treatment & sprays on a wide range of food crops, horticulture,  hydroponics and nurseries.                

The collaboration agreement states that the joint validation trials of Plasma-sized WaterTM applications for Agriculture, R&D activities, Agroforestry & other agriculture-related uses will be conducted at a large scale & multiple centres/nurseries of the Heartfulness Institute. The existing & new use cases will be tested & demonstrated to the farming community, various stakeholders and agriculture value-chain players to benefit the community at large.

The collaboration agreement states that the joint validation

Acquaculture, Animal Health, Company News, Live Stock

The collaboration aims to redefine the standards of aquaculture nutrition through the application of ORI-N3

In a significant leap forward for the aquaculture industry, Skretting, a global leader in aquafeed solutions and I&V Bio, a leading biotechnology company announce their strategic partnership to revolutionise artemia enrichment. 

Leveraging the innovative prowess of Skretting’s and I&V Bio industry expertise, the collaboration aims to redefine the standards of aquaculture nutrition through the application of ORI-N3, Skretting’s cutting-edge nutritional supplement in artemia enrichment.

Artemia, often referred to as brine shrimp, serves as a vital component in the early stages of various aquatic species’ life cycles. Ensuring the optimal nutrition of artemia is essential for the healthy growth and development of shrimp in aquaculture systems. Skretting and I&V Bio recognise the importance of this foundation and have joined forces to enhance the nutritional value of artemia using ORI-N3.

ORI-N3, developed by Skretting, is a revolutionary nutritional supplement enriched with essential proteins, lipids, and micronutrients. This advanced formula is specifically designed to boost the nutritional content of artemia, providing a balanced and comprehensive diet for early-stage aquatic species. With its unique composition, ORI-N3 ensures optimal growth rates, improved resistance to diseases, and enhanced overall health for shrimp.

The collaboration aims to redefine the standards

India, Interaction

To accelerate coffee sustainability, farmer prosperity, and address systemic sustainability issues facing coffee farming communities around the world.

During the 5th World Coffee Conference 2023, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and Global Coffee Platform (GCP) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on September 29, 2023, renewing and expanding their special partnership within the Coffee Public-Private Task Force (CPPTF), in an effort to accelerate coffee sustainability, farmer prosperity, and address systemic sustainability issues facing coffee farming communities around the world.    

“Innovative and effective public-private cooperation is key to promote farmers prosperity, improved social well-being and conservation of nature in coffee producing countries,” said Annette Pensel, GCP Executive Director.  

“By renewing and deepening our partnership with the ICO, GCP acknowledges that public private dialogue, conducive policies, along with a mix of financing mechanisms to enable sector transformation, are essential to achieve our shared goals.”   

In line with the International Coffee Agreement 2022, which sets out a new institutional framework, including, for the first time, the private sector and civil society as affiliate members, and foresees the transformation of the CPPTF into a permanent Working Party. The MoU signed today acknowledges the important role GCP will play in contributing to achieving the CPPTF Roadmap 2030. This includes the successful delivery of the platform’s recently-approved GCP 2030 Goal on farmers’ prosperity and coffee sustainability through focussed and measurable collective action at local and global levels.  

” Only a common approach to the future development of the sector can create achievable opportunities and pave the way for a sustainable, resilient and inclusive coffee sector. Through the CPPTF, the ICO intends to strengthen its partnerships to advance initiatives that ensure greater economic, ecological and livelihood sustainability for future generations of farmers,” said Vanusia Nogueira, Executive Director of the ICO.   

“We are proud today to sign the MOU with the GCP and we look forward to the future role this agreement will play in the development of the sector locally and globally.”  

The ICO has a goal of economic resilience and developing pathways to prosperity for coffee farmers. This goal is underpinned by ambitious public-private cooperation which has the greatest potential to drive the sector’s sustainability and ensure a prosperous income level for farmers. The MoU between ICO and GCP confirms shared commitment to promoting sustainable development as a means of achieving social and economic progress in coffee producing countries.  

The continuation of the partnership falls in line with GCP’s new strategy to become the change agent around farmer prosperity through advancing coffee sustainability in collective action. Through the GCP Network of Coffee Sustainability Platforms in producing countries, the learnings harvested through the partnership can be further discussed and scaled.   

Both organisations will continue to work together around relevant Sustainable Development Goals. This includes enhancing coordination and collaboration, strengthening the enabling environment for systemic change and enabling more efficient and effective use of resources.  

“Within this coordination and collaboration, we believe that farmer prosperity must be at the core of any sustainability program to bring lasting, systemic change on challenges such as climate change, regulations and human rights. This change can only be achieved through effective sector cooperation and smart investments,” said Pensel. 

To accelerate coffee sustainability, farmer prosperity, and

Agrotech, Company News, India

Investment will accelerate the commercialisation of Hydron’s biogas-to-RNG upgrading technology for small-to medium-scale sites

Hydron Energy Inc, the cleaner fuel company commercialising a revolutionary gas upgrading solution, has announced a strategic investment by Standard Nutrition Company (SNC), a leader in livestock nutrition and management consulting. This partnership and funding will extend our in-house manufacturing programme and solidify Hydron’s focus on commercial opportunities for renewable natural gas (RNG).

“Hydron is proud to add Standard Nutrition to its growing list of partners,” said Hydron Energy President and CEO Soheil Khiavi. “This investment further validates our success to date and enables us to pursue manufacturing advancements that will further improve the capital – and operating-cost savings we can extend to our clients. In addition, with growing proof in our system’s capability to deliver quicker returns on investment for project owners, we are well positioned to respond to the unique requirements of the small- and medium-scale projects.”

Hydron’s patented INTRUPTor™ system significantly reduces the cost of upgrading biogas to RNG and enables the deployment of small-scale plants aligned with feedstock availability. The INTRUPTor™, an acronym for Intensified Regenerative Upgrading Platform Technology, is a containerised module system scalable from 20 Nm3/hr to 2,000 Nm3/hr (12.5 SCFM to 1250 SCFM) and delivers a best-in-class carbon intensity score.

“Farmers have a unique opportunity to put their manure and crop wastes to beneficial use as renewable natural gas,” said Eric Ohlendorf, President of Ag Property Solutions, a division of Standard Nutrition Company. “But with so many new technologies and unknowns, it’s a struggle for producers to understand all that’s involved. Companies like Hydron and the tools and resources they offer are what livestock producers need to help them capitalise on RNG opportunities.”

“Hydron offers a compelling value proposition regarding cost structure, and the cost is a big issue for our clients,” added Ohlendorf. “If we can fundamentally change that dynamic, we have a game changer in the market.”

Ohlendorf will join Hydron’s Board of Directors, adding his much-needed agricultural expertise and views along with his connections. SNC consists of five subsidiary companies providing focused support and products to some of the most successful dairy, swine, poultry producers, and horse owners.

“Producing RNG can provide farmers with benefits such as fuel security, economic revenues, local air quality improvements, and greenhouse gas reductions,” said Alison Cartier, Hydron Business & Development Manager. “In Canada and the U.S., federal and provincial/state programs provide incentives for projects to convert biogas to RNG but for smaller scale projects the upgrading costs can be prohibitive. Therefore, this valued renewable gas is often flared to atmosphere instead of being used to displace fossil fuel-based natural gas.”

Hydron is currently manufacturing a skid-mounted, containerised demonstration plant. The INTRUPTor™ I-Multi Mobile RNG Solution Centre will travel to key sites and demonstrate how the INTRUPTor system, and biogas upgrading, works in a real-world context. “Our goal is to create an engaging mobile experience that enables us to demonstrate the INTRUPTor™ on a new level across North America and encourage participation from agriculture and agri-food waste producers,” added Khiavi.

Investment will accelerate the commercialisation of Hydron's

Europe, Sustainability

Partnership to further advance WFP’s smallholder farmer support programmes in Rwanda and Uganda

Novo Nordisk Foundation commits  $ 4.1 million grant to improve health, nutrition, food security and incomes for marginalised and vulnerable smallholder farming communities. The objective is to build the resilience and functionality of food systems in the most food insecure regions of both countries.

“This exciting new partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation will leverage WFP’s existing homegrown school feeding and smallholder farmer support programmes to create even greater impact by further investing in children’s education while building efficient food systems to ensure food is available and affordable for all.”

“Creating resilient food systems is central to WFP’s work across Eastern Africa – from emergency relief to building sustainable livelihoods,”says Michael Dunford, WFP’s Regional Director for Eastern Africa.

“We are pleased to partner with the World Food Programme and contribute to advancing its existing programmes in Rwanda and Uganda, where millions of people fail to thrive due to the global food crisis. The fact that the programmes focus on offering immediate support, and also work to build sustainable food systems for the longer term, is very well aligned with how we work at the Novo Nordisk Foundation, I’m particularly excited about the prospect of bringing nutritious meals to thousands of school-aged children, since we know that this is a good incentive for them to come to school, which forms a foundation for a bright future and a better quality of life.” Says Flemming Konradsen, Senior Vice President, Social & Humanitarian, Novo Nordisk Foundation.

Partnership to further advance WFP's smallholder farmer

Agrotech, Company News, India, Start ups

It aims to enable its affiliated farmers and the larger ecosystem to become more efficient and productive via protective farming, in turn increasing its returns.

GROWiT, India’s leading Direct-to-Farmer (D2F) protective farming company, announces a partnership with Samunnati, an open agri network. The partnership will increase awareness and penetration of protective farming techniques and products among farmers associated with Samunati and its farmer producer organizations (FPOs).

GROWiT aims to help them get an increment in yield and per hectare output. This development is part of its larger mission to help double farmers’ income by 2030. Samunnati, based in Chennai, is India’s leading open agri networks serving the entire value chain with its solutions, including Agri Commerce and Agri Finance. By collaborating with GROWiT, the company aims to enable its affiliated farmers and the larger ecosystem to become more efficient and productive via protective farming, in turn increasing its returns.

Commenting on the partnership, Saurabh Agarwal, Director and CEO of GROWiT, said, “This partnership is not about GROWiT and Samunnati alone. We have always promoted protective farming techniques because of the benefits they offer to farmers in terms of crop quality, yield, and carbon footprint. If we achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income by the end of this decade, it will benefit the entire agriculture industry and farmer community in India.”

Echoing the sentiments, Samunnati, said, “We are pleased to be associated with GROWiT. We have partnered with them to spread awareness about protective farming and how it can help our affiliated farmers increase their yield in an economical and sustainable way. This collaboration will also give us more avenues to increase our return.”

For the Surat-based D2F agritech firm, this development also translates to an increase in revenue while also offering its franchise owners increased customer (farmer) reach, which would result in an increase in sales and their income. GROWiT recently entered into technical collaboration with KVK Baramati and will continue to push its efforts towards empowering Indian farmers.

It aims to enable its affiliated farmers

Agrotech, India, Singapore, Start ups

Cargill has partnered with Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and launched its first digital business studio in Asia. The studio is designed to support local founders with investments that bring Cargill solutions to the market and accelerate innovation for the food and agriculture industry in Asia-Pacific.

Through this three-year partnership, Cargill plans to develop a portfolio of at least five new start-ups in Singapore. The start-ups will focus on pressing industry challenges—from increasing access to market data for smallholder farmers to creating more efficient, transparent and cost-effective food supply solutions.

This partnership builds on EDB’s efforts to grow Singapore’s corporate venturing movement, encouraging companies to build new businesses with start-up like agility. This includes investing in growth areas beyond their core businesses to keep ahead of the fast-changing pace of disruption.  

The digital business studio will be a space for Cargill to incubate and scale transformative start-ups, in close partnership with customers. It allows for expanded reach into digital innovation, bringing new solutions to meet the changing needs of the food and agriculture industries.

Cargill has four innovation centres across Asia: Singapore, Gurgaon, Beijing and Shanghai.

Cargill has partnered with Singapore Economic Development