MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name

One Stop Sustainable Solution for All Plant Diseases.

One-line solution summary.

We offer Novel and Natural Substitutes for Fungicides that work like the medicine we consume and make plants capable of defending themselves.

Elevator pitch

—

What is your solution?

So, we introduce a solution that works better than current alternatives without any of its side effects. We introduce a method of treating Plants with medicine mimicking the use of medicine by humans. Our novel, toxicologically proven, 100% herbal Agri - Biostimulants work by triggering and retaining Plant Immunity in such a way that the plants become capable of defending themselves. This is achieved by working in a fivefold pathway where it activates important plant defense pathways which induces an immune response, known as systemic acquired resistance in a dose-dependent manner offering protection against a broad spectrum of plant pathogens or Plant diseases. A Farmer will just have to dilute our product and feed it to the plants. It costs up to 50% less than the current alternatives while increasing the yield up to 30%. Overall it serves as an inexpensive, highly efficient, safe, and sustainable alternative for plant disease protection.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

Plant Diseases causes around $220 Billion worth of crop loss every year and is considered a threat to food security. It is dangerous because it doesn't only affect the yield but also kills the plant. The supposed solution for this problem, The Fungicides have been causing problems of their own affecting everything from soil to air and is basically a -cidal formulation. Moreover, According to us, the approach itself is wrong. Because using Fungicides, we are trying to create a chemical barrier around the plants so that pathogens wouldn't reach the plant; It is like wearing a PPE kit which we know is temporary. Also, the logistics of maintaining this barrier in the open field hard considering it is prone to rain and wind.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Our target population is small and marginal farmers. They are forced to spend a lot of money on mediocre solutions that cause other problems to their land and health without solving the intended problem entirely. The Application is hard, maintenance is harder and precautions required are largely neglected.

We offer a solution that is not only reliable and effective, It costs 50% less than current alternatives, Toxicologically proven to safe, Application is very easy and it increases the yield by up to 30%.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

We were part of the target population, faced this issue, and decided to do something about it. Thorough Market research was conducted which identified pain points such as application issues, precautions being neglected, maintenance of current alternatives, and also some plant diseases without any solutions. Third-party market research reports identified the current market requirement was for bio fungicide with no environmental footprint which kind of exactly matches the description of our product. Farmers' plots were used for product trials with help from research institutions and even today our customer acquisition revolves around trial plots. The early revenues were also from Farmer Producer Organizations and Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperatives.

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Other: Addressing an unmet social, environmental, or economic need not covered in the four dimensions above

What is the unmet need that your solution tried to address? Why is it important?

The need is for a Sustainable, Safe, and reliable alternative for Plant Protection that is cost-effective as well. This is important because it will not only protect the livelihood of small and marginal farmers but will also be important for food security and the protection of biodiversity from degradation.

Our solution's stage of development:

Growth: An organization with an established product, service, or business model rolled out in at least one community, which is poised for further growth

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution—in other words, what have you accomplished to date?

The Product for Arecanut, Coconut, and Pepper is tested and in active use at Chikmagalur, Uttara Kannad, and Dakshina Kannada Districts of Karnataka and in Kasaragod, Kannur Districts of Kerala impacting 2000 hectares of Land. The Product for Potato and Apple is in active trials in Punjab and Kashmir. The Products for Fruits such as Papaya, Mango, and Banana will be tested soon in Maharastra.

Where our solution team is headquartered or located:

Kasaragod, Kerala, India

Team Lead:

Vinoj P A Raj