![]() ![]() The startup, backed by Y Combinator and recently by popular South Indian actress Samantha Akkineni, also sells kits for about $200 that anyone can buy and grow vegetables in their own home. ![]() Vihari Kanukollu, the co-founder and chief executive of UrbanKisaan, told TechCrunch in an interview that the startup does not use any soil or harmful chemicals to grow crops and uses 95% less water compared to traditional farms. The model brings with it a range of benefits. Vertical farming, a concept that has gained momentum in some Western markets, is still very new in India. If that wasn’t enough, Indian cities are facing another challenge: The level of harmful chemicals used in vegetables has gone up significantly over the years.Ī Hyderabad-headquartered startup, which is competing in the TechCrunch Disrupt Startup Battlefield this week, thinks it has found a way to address both of these challenges.Īcross many of its centres in Hyderabad and Bangalore that look like spaceships from the inside, UrbanKisaan is growing crops, stacked one on top of another. Those with means have shifted to grow crops such as pearl millet, cow peas, bottle gourd and corn - essentially anything but rice - that use a fraction of the water. Farmers have been struggling in India to grow crops, as they are still heavily reliant on rainwater. ![]() Signs of this are apparent in farms, which consume the vast majority of total water supplies. Severe droughts have drained rivers and reservoirs across parts of India, and more than half a billion people in the world’s second-most populous nation are estimated to run out of drinking water by 2030.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |