We are Partnering with ICRISAT and KhethiNext to boost small farm incomes
Here’s an exciting partnership we’ve been waiting to share with you!
We are joining hands with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) and KHETHINEXT — platform enables digital agriculture transformation– to explore challenges in the agriculture sector in India that blockchain technology can cater to. With the aim of forging an industry partnership to bolster technological innovation in the agriculture sector, ICRISAT will provide us with incubation support to our Centre of Excellence (CoE). Eleven01 will assist KHETHINEXT to develop a decentralized application (dApp) that will help farmers improve their productivity in terms of logistics, access to expert advice, and a mobile platform that can facilitate these.
As it goes, Indian farmers need more support with agricultural logistics. With limited access to sound facilities, farmers have relied on local traders and middlemen for the distribution of their farm produce which is sold at prices.
As a decentralised ledger, blockchain can provide farmers with a platform that will store data inputs that will be tamper-proof and farmers can value their farm produce at its true cost; additionally, farmers can provide anyone, be it, consumers or retailers, with the means to trace the movement of farm products in the supply chain, monitoring aspects like quantity and quality. This will enable farmers with better facilities to direct their efforts towards marketing their products without having to completely depend on intermediaries. With the introduction of the KHETHINEXT dApp, farmers will be able to address these issues; along with ICRISAT, we will provide their expertise and technology resources to enable this development.
As an international agriculture organisation, ICRISAT helps develop rural areas in India & Africa, based out of Hyderabad, Telangana. With their expertise, they aim to accelerate digital innovation in agriculture by creating and developing blockchain technology-based products and solutions. Their partnership with us gives them an opportunity to explore the applications of blockchain technology to develop the backed process that runs the agriculture sector. Ramkiran Dhulipala, Theme Leader Digital Agriculture, ISD and Lead Strategic Initiatives, Director General’s Office, ICRISAT, commenting on the partnership, expressed, “The partnership with Eleven01 is critical for us to build a robust and adaptable blockchain platform for the agriculture domain. The CoE at ICRISAT will build on this momentum.”
The soon-to-be-established incubation cell will help blockchain-based startups build dApps like KHETHINEXT to facilitate specific functions in the industry like mapping the supply chain, ensuring food safety, etc. Initiatives at the CoE will also include blockchain platform support for iHub incubatees, hosting of Eleven01 Blockchain node, and meet-ups.
KHETHINEXT, one of the top startups to come from iHub, is a digital transformation platform that is helping over 4.5 lakh Indian farmers make a better living via their platform. By means of this partnership, KHETHINEXT will create a dApp that will trace the source of agriculture produce and activities performed from farm to fork. The dApp will provide farmers with a marketplace that puts them directly in touch with potential retailers and produce organisations, eventually reducing the dependency on institutions and intermediaries. In addition to the above said, this dApp will give farmers access to financial support options as well. “Our services help farmers increase profitability and improve their livelihood,” said Phanidhar Palakoti, Founder & CEO, KHETHINEXT. He also added, “Our services help farmers increase profitability and improve their livelihood. This partnership with ICRISAT and Eleven01 is a major step in realizing this through providing traceability of agriculture produce on Blockchain, making it visible to potential buyers for high price realization.”
Ausaf Ahmad, CEO of Eleven01, extended his congratulations to the team while acknowledging that a partnership with ICRISAT will help develop blockchain-based solutions for the problems that the agricultural sector faces. “We will be focusing on providing a transparent and more reliable solution for issues such as funds, supply chain, post-harvest equity, and land holding through the blockchain,” he added.
