DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge Finalists Announced

DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge Finalists Announced: Top 4 Innovations awarded milestone Grant. Set to Improve Water Efficiency for Smallholder Farmers

National, 26 August 2024: DCM Shriram Foundation, in collaboration with The/Nudge Institute’s Centre for Social Innovation and the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor (GoI), proudly announces the outcomes of the midline evaluation for the DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge. Launched in June 2023, the challenge has brought together 14 pioneering technologies aimed at transforming water use efficiency and boosting productivity for India’s smallholder farmers, particularly those cultivating paddy, wheat, sugarcane, and cotton.

Over the past ten months, these technologies have been deployed across multiple agro-climatic zones in India, targeting some of the country’s most pressing agricultural challenges. A comprehensive midline evaluation, conducted by The/Nudge Prize team in partnership with Ecociate Consultants, an independent third-party evaluator, has identified four breakthrough organisations through a rigorous jury process and now will advance to the final phase of the challenge.

The four organisations that will advance to the final round of the challenge and being awarded the milestone grant of Rupees Fifteen Lakh each include EF Polymer – specialising in bio-inputs that enhance soil moisture retention, CultYVate – providing advanced advisory services to optimise water use in farming, Industill – innovating in the automation of irrigation systems for precise water management and Phyfarm – developing scalable solutions to increase water efficiency in agriculture.

A total of INR 60 Lakhs will be awarded to these finalists, each of these organisations will now focus on scaling their technologies to improve water use efficiency and profitability for smallholder farmers, at affordable prices.. The final phase of the challenge will commence from September 2024 and the winner will be announced in February 2025. INR 2 crore will be awarded to the most impactful and scalable innovation, making it one of the most generous grants available for sustainable agricultural interventions.

Speaking about the challenge, Aman Pannu, President, DCM Shriram Foundation, said, “The DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge is a critical initiative aimed at addressing water-related challenges in agriculture, especially for smallholder farmers who are the backbone of India’s agricultural economy. The midline evaluation has highlighted the potential of several ground-breaking innovations that promise significant contributions to water conservation and enhanced productivity. The evaluation process itself was meticulous, spanning over two months and involving field visits across eight states. These visits included on-ground assessments of the selected technologies in action, with hundreds of farmers being interviewed to gauge the impact and effectiveness of the innovations. I want to congratulate the four winning organizations for solving for this problem and being awarded the milestone grant. As we move into the final phase, we are excited to see these technologies scale and make a tangible impact on the lives of millions of farmers across the country.”

Kanishka Chatterjee, Director, The/Nudge Prize, said, “Innovating for efficient water utilisation in agriculture is essential for the future of smallholder farming in India. While progress has been made in developing solutions for agri-water challenges, affordable and accessible models for marginal farmers remain scarce. The midline evaluation of the DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge has demonstrated that there are viable, scalable solutions capable of addressing the complex water challenges of land productivity, pricing, and market instability our farmers face. The challenge is designed to encourage AgTech to rapidly innovate, showcase, and implement solutions to address these issues. By enhancing water efficiency in agriculture, these innovations have the potential to significantly improve the livelihoods of over 150 million smallholder farmers across India.”

A distinguished jury panel, including Hemendra Mathur (Bharat Innovation Fund), Aruna Pohl (IFHD), Vilas Shinde (Sahyadri Farms), and Emmanuel Murray (Caspian), have engaged in detailed discussions with the contesting organisations. The panel evaluated the potential of these technologies to enhance water use efficiency and their scalability for broader adoption among India’s smallholder farmers.

The DCM Shriram Foundation is committed to challenging the status quo of inefficient water use in agriculture by promoting innovations and practices that enable large-scale water conservation. The/Nudge Prize is focused on creating solutions that address livelihood challenges for the bottom 30% of India’s population, especially small and marginal farmers.