Nurture.farm: Sustainable Agriculture Management through Smart Information Technologies

Established in 2020, Nurture.farm was a digital platform that focused on reimagining the next generation of sustainable technology-based solutions for agriculture. In June 2021, Nurture.farm’s chief executive officer Dhruv Sawhney and his team recognized a grave problem in northern India. Environmental hazards were being created from mass rice stubble burning, which was an inexpensive and quick way for farmers to clear their field for the next crop cycle. In response, Sawhney and his team conceptualized and executed India’s largest crop residue management (CRM) program. The organization’s initial success in providing its services to over 25,000 farmers and curbing the stubble burning problem gained international recognition and helped Nurture.farm earn several new partnerships within a year of operations.<br><br>By March 2023, Nurture.farm was hoping to scale up its CRM program and expand into over 800,000 hectares (2 million acres) of land, primarily in India’s rice paddy fields. In this mission, Sawhney and his team found themselves facing some difficult questions. Could they efficiently scale this mission-driven campaign to additional states? How could they convince and garner organic trust from farmers? Modern technologies helped Nurture.farm facilitate its operations, but what challenges could the company face in the future? What sustainable practices could help the company drive its CRM program?

This case can be used in courses at undergraduate and graduate levels during several focused sessions on technology use for sustainability, program management, management of agri-business projects, sustainability, or information systems. It works best toward the middle of the course. The case has multiple objectives, such as providing an overview of the agri-tech industry and discussing the implementation of digitization strategically in the farming sector. It also discusses how emerging technologies that farmers may embrace are used for sustainability, including various solutions being used in India for mitigating crop stubble burning. The case provides an overview of the agricultural-technology (agri-tech) industry and its competitive landscape. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to accomplish the following objectives:<br><br><ul><li>Identify different technologies within the agriculture industry and strategize the use of these technologies with a focus on return on sustainable investment.</li><li>Explain how mechanizing and digitizing farms through the use of mobile applications (apps) and cutting-edge technologies has an impact on the agriculture industry and on farmers.</li><li>Recognize aspects of sustainability and challenges faced during the implementation of new technology.</li></ul>

• sustainability
• Information systems
• Smart technologies
• Mobile applications