Bengaluru, April 27
S4S Technologies has been selected as the winner of the ‘The/Nudge Prize Cisco Agri Challenge’,and Bioprime Agrisolutions has emerged as the runner-up of the contest, which had called for ‘solutions to enhance the profitability of small scale farmers’, with 10-million-lives potential.
The winners were chosen from among the 844 applicant start-ups by a grand jury aided by the Monitoring and Evaluation exercise conducted by Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA); and felicitated by Manoj Ahuja, Agriculture Secretary, Government of India.
Mobilising agri startups
Cisco and The/Nudge Institute announced the challenge in December 2020 in partnership with the Office of the PSA, Govt. of India, with an aim to mobilise agri startups working towards income generation and sustainable livelihoods for small/ marginal farmers, while delivering positive economic, social, and environmental value.
The grand finale revealed the winning ideas and celebrated the work of these exceptional agri entrepreneurs. While the winning organization took home a prize money of ₹1 crore, the runner-up bagged ₹25 lakh, in addition to the milestone grants, further access to investors, mentors, knowledge and technology partners, and policy circle advisers, over the 18-month period of the programme.
Sudha Srinivasan, CEO, The/Nudge Centre for Social Innovation said “The Cisco Agri Challenge drew talent, technology, capital, and attention to the most pressing land, crop, infrastructure, market fulfillment, and social protection issues of small farmers, spurred by the pandemic. The challenge has spotlighted innovative ideas that will empower India to leapfrog in developing sustainable solutions for an inclusive economy, biodiversity preservation, environmental conservation, climate change, and regenerative agriculture.”
‘Inclusive future for all’
Harish Krishnan, Managing Director & Chief Policy Officer, Cisco India and SAARC, said, “the objective of Cisco Agri Challenge is to inspire innovation that will enhance the profitability of small-scale farmers. This aligns with Cisco’s purpose to power an inclusive future for all.”