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Future-Proof Farming: Technology, Talent & Investment Pathways for a Resilient Agri Sector

India’s agriculture and allied sectors have witnessed a steady decline in recent years, driven largely by farmers migrating to more stable and remunerative non-farm sectors. While this trend is not alarming today—especially with surplus buffer stocks remaining above prescribed norms, as highlighted by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution—the increasing population and rising demand signal a future need to rethink how we sustain this foundational sector. India cannot rely indefinitely on existing reserves at this rate.

Ensuring long-term food security requires Future-Proof Farming—rebuilding agriculture into a modern, attractive, and economically viable profession for the next generation.

Reimagining Agriculture for Livelihoods, Productivity, and Resilience

The rise in rural unemployment alongside increasing fallow lands presents a critical opportunity. Institutions such as NABARD emphasise that mechanisation, digitisation, and modernisation of farming practices can generate meaningful livelihoods, improve productivity, and reduce the financial vulnerabilities that often lead to agrarian distress, including farmer suicides.

The future of agriculture will be shaped not only by cultivation, but by how effectively we integrate technology, innovation, enterprise, and investment. Future-Proof Farming demands a shift from subsistence-oriented approaches to systems that are scalable, resilient, and market-aligned.

About the Webinar: Future-Proof Farming

On the occasion of Kisan Diwas, CPPR is hosting a webinar titled “Future-Proof Farming: Technology, Talent & Investment Pathways for a Resilient Agri Sector”. The discussion brings together leaders from agri-enterprises, agri-startups, and agricultural investment domains.

The objective is to explore how India can scale agriculture in a profitable and resilient manner—transitioning from traditional practices to science-based, market-driven, and climate-aligned systems. This Future-Proof Farming dialogue aims to identify pathways that balance farmer welfare with national food security.

Value Creation Beyond Cultivation

The discussion will highlight pathways for value creation, including the development of value-added products, integration of high-value commodities, and promotion of complementary activities such as pisciculture, horticulture, and floriculture as income-augmenting models.

The webinar will also examine the potential of emerging carbon markets and climate-finance mechanisms that can enable farmers to monetise sustainable practices—an important pillar of Future-Proof Farming in a climate-constrained future.

Encouraging the Next Generation of Farmers

Rather than romanticising past sacrifices, this platform aims to foster forward-looking, evidence-based dialogue that encourages young talent to enter the sector. By leveraging modern technologies, informed investments, and multi-stakeholder collaboration, Future-Proof Farming seeks to make agriculture not only sustainable but truly admirable—an enterprise where farmers thrive, risks reduce, and India’s food future remains secure.

Key Discussion Points

• What are the major structural, economic, environmental, and technological challenges associated with Indian agriculture today, and how are these challenges impacting small and marginal farmers?

• In what ways can FPOs and FPCs enhance agricultural productivity, strengthen market access, and contribute to augmenting farmers’ income and how do FPOs differ from traditional cooperative societies in terms of structure, legal status, governance, and economic benefits to farmers?

• How can emerging technologies—such as drones, soil-testing devices, remote-sensing tools, precision farming, and smart irrigation systems—help increase agricultural output and reduce input costs?

• At which stages of the agricultural value chain (pre-sowing, crop management, post-harvest, logistics, markets) can agri-startups and technology interventions most effectively improve productivity and profitability for farmers?

• Private investment in agriculture has historically remained low compared with sectors like manufacturing or services. How can existing platforms such as BSE, NSE, commodity exchanges, or specialized agri-investment frameworks be leveraged to attract private capital into agriculture?

• Are there any agriculture focused investment instruments—similar to equity or commodity-based products in other sectors? If not,is it feasible to have agri focused instruments to ensure wider participation and transparent trading?

• How can carbon-credit mechanisms be integrated into Indian farming systems to offer farmers a new, climate-positive source of revenue?

• Is it practically possible for farmers or FPOs to directly participate in carbon-credit markets, and what regulatory or institutional support is required for this?

• What strategies—policy reforms, technological integration, skill development, entrepreneurship opportunities, and income stabilization—can help make farming a more appealing and viable career choice for the younger generation in India?

Panellists

Mr Sridhar Easwaran

Director at Samunnati Foundation

With over 35 years of experience in banking and agri-finance, Mr. Easwaran has been instrumental in facilitating capacity-building initiatives for Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), aggregating markets, and enabling innovative agri-financing models. He is also a founding member of Samunnati Financial, one of India’s leading agri-enterprise platforms.

Mr Emmanuel Murray

Investment Director at Caspian Equity

With over 42 years of experience across agriculture, rural credit, and agri-enterprise finance, Mr. Murray manages the LeAF Fund, which supports early- and growth-stage food and agriculture startups with strong social and environmental impact. His experience spans impact investing, NBFCs, and farmer-centric institutions, giving him a rare blend of policy insight and on-ground market understanding.

Mr Devan Chandrasekharan

Founder of Fuselage Innovations

An aeronautical technologist specializing in UAVs, machine learning, and sustainable innovation, Mr. Devan develops scalable drone solutions for precision agriculture and impact assessment. With over a decade of experience across eight countries and recognition as a Forbes India 30 Under 30 (2025) honoree, he brings a strong technology-led perspective to agricultural transformation.

Moderator

Ms Shobha Vasan

Associate, Research and Projects, Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi

Shobha Vasan is an economics researcher with a strong academic foundation and hands-on experience in agricultural and development economics. She has worked as a Research Assistant at ICRIER under Prof Ashok Gulati, contributing to projects on soil health and biodiversity in agriculture. She also served as a Research Associate at Azim Premji University, where she worked on sustainability frameworks in agriculture, gaining field experience in Chhattisgarh.

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