What is this track about?
Despite contributing about 16.6% of the total GDP in 2007, India’s agricultural sector has seen dismal growth rates that average between 2.5% and 3%. The problems identified are multi-fold: weak market linkages, high risk factors tied to weather, low productivity linked to knowledge and information asymmetries, lack of infrastructure, rising input costs, etc. Most emerging models in agriculture have addressed the above mentioned problems by being network enterprises that have tied in with suppliers of inputs, banks, and retail chains to provide direct access to knowledge providers, finance and market linkages to farmers, thus decreasing costs and increasing incomes. Organic agriculture which significantly reduces input costs with premium paid for organic produce and allied activities like dairying and poultry are emerging models in the sector.
Inextricably tied up with Agriculture, allied and processing activities are innovative channels for service and products which can be categorized as rural innovations. Rural innovations have mostly been technology powered distribution channels of services addressing gaps in the last mile delivery. Along with outsourced manufacturing and business hubs, innovative products such as rural ATMs, technologies like near field communication, RFID and biometric authentication have powered product development addressing supply chain and market linkages.
If you are a bank, an input provider, knowledge provider or a player who wants to access this large market, this is your chance to interact with the best of these emerging models and see how you want to tap into this vast potential that the market for agriculture & rural innovation provides.
Sankalp Awards for Agriculture and Rural Innovation
Enterprises that are meeting inter alia the following needs and issues in this sector are invited to
submit nominations for the
Sankalp Award:
- Increasing productivity and reducing wastages
- Leveraging technology / ICT for enabling delivery of services
- Financial Inclusion interventions (e.g. crop insurance, weather monitoring etc.)
- Organic Agriculture Initiatives
- Supply chain related interventions
- Dairying activities that supplement agriculture incomes
- Outsourced production/ manufacturing
- Rural regional business hubs
