IAIN model: Building an Ecosystem for Farmer-Focused Innovations – Part II

The India AgriTech Incubation Network (IAIN) programme , launched in 2019 in eastern UP, has an unwavering focus on the smallholder farmers whose livelihoods are endangered by a host of factors, including climate change. They need access to modern technology and exposure to sustainable practices. The IAIN initiative identifies and prioritises their pressing problems and looks for science and technology-led solutions, accordingly.?

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The IAIN model is dynamic, alive to the challenges at hand. It has come up with a platform that fosters collaboration among multiple stakeholders who can impact the quality of life of farmers and the lifecycle of startups. The presence of knowledge institutions ensures validation of both problem statements and solutions. Incubators with state-of-the-art infrastructure facilitate product development and testing as well as generate a pipeline of startups. CSRs, foundations, and farmer producer organisations provide pilot opportunities to test the solutions and can later become customers of the startups. Government bodies are instrumental in including the startups’ products and services in their outreach programmes and offering subsidies for wider adoption. This unique integration of ecosystem partners accelerates a solution’s lab-to-market journey in a seamless manner.?

The first Social Alpha Quest for Agritech Innovations in 2019 invited applications from innovators and entrepreneurs, keeping in mind 12 problem statements. The winners were mostly early-stage startups involved in farm mechanisation, organic inputs, solutions for animal attacks, shelf-life enhancement of horticulture, organic water absorbents, quality assessment of grains, sorting, grading and traceability, and decentralised processing technologies. ?

Then Covid struck and work virtually came to a standstill.?

The lull afforded time for introspection for programme managers and the startups. Since the novelty of the solutions and their alignment with problem statements had formed the basis of shortlisting the startups, the architects of the programme didn’t factor in the time these young enterprises would take for product development. It was not just the question of time, either. Dealing with early-stage ventures requires patient capital and a strong risk appetite, both of which are in short supply in the innovation ecosystem.?

It gradually became clear to the programme organisers that the startups wouldn’t be able to deliver the goods on time due to various reasons, including Covid.??

For startups, the IAIN experience was an eye-opener in multiple ways. Some of them had signed up for incubation services and the prize money. When they realised that the money was for paid pilot support through Social Alpha, they weren’t too keen to continue. Social Alpha’s objective has been to deploy the startups’ solutions with the help of on-ground partners and facilitate adoption of these technologies through financial support. Moreover, many of these startups had very little experience of working with smallholder farmers, which explained why their innovations weren’t originally conducive for the target population.?

The second edition of the AgriTech challenge in 2021 chose 17 startups that were working towards improving productivity and yield, minimising post-harvest losses and promoting agri and allied livelihood initiatives. This time, a few mature startups, which were already a part of the Social Alpha ecosystem, found berths along with the early-stage ones.?

While the nascent innovations availed of incubation services to further their technology-readiness levels, the market-ready startups found opportunities to penetrate unexplored territories. This is when Social Alpha’s elaborate network on the ground was particularly useful. Social Alpha has forged partnerships with NGOs, CSRs and FPOs through extensive field visits and stakeholder consultations. Even though these partners were initially wary of trying out the products and services, the efficacy of the solutions helped them overcome the inertia. In order to facilitate paid pilots and earn the trust of these stakeholders, Social Alpha devised a model where either the partner organisation spent for the on-ground trials, or it convinced the farmers within its fold to pay for the solutions. Depending on the nature of the solutions, Social Alpha fixed the contributions of the implementing partners and farmers and pitched in with a grant to cover the shortfall. This monetary support was reserved for capex-heavy implements.?

The startups dealing in recurring farm inputs such as organic fertilisers received financial and other forms of support from the IAIN programme to firm up their got-to-market strategy and create a buzz around their products.??

The IAIN model doesn’t encourage hand-out culture. It firmly believes that with adequate support, farmers can pay for a product or a service if they find it truly useful. The programme gives wings to startups which would otherwise languish in obscurity despite having the potential to deliver impact. It’s interesting to note how Social Alpha leverages its reputation and network to create a market for these solutions. Many of these startups have gone onto expand their footprint and become part of the UP government’s initiatives.?

Stay tuned for the concluding part that focuses on startups which created impact in IAIN and beyond.

Authors -?Onkar Pandey, Rubby Pratap Singh, Pratik Ghosh?