Pune: Imagine a world where farmers can instantly assess the health of their soil with a simple, portable device. This is now a reality, thanks to Nutrisens, a groundbreaking innovation developed by two scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay — Rajul Patkar and Mukul Singh.
While many of us easily obtain food from stores or online, the journey for farmers is fraught with challenges. They must meticulously evaluate soil quality, select the right seeds, and secure fertilisers, pesticides, and water. Throughout the growing season, farmers labour tirelessly to ensure a bountiful harvest. Despite advancements in technology, significant hurdles still remain.
Rajul, recognising these challenges, was determined to make a difference.
“We have about 140 million farmers and just 3,000 soil testing labs to cater to their needs,” said Rajul. “As a result, most farmers do not have access to these labs. Moreover, they take an inordinately long time to provide reports, sometimes up to a month. This leads to indiscriminate use of chemicals, which decreases crop yield and increases input costs.”
Rather than increasing the number of costly and resource-intensive labs, Rajul and her team developed Nutrisens, a portable device that simplifies soil testing to the ease of using a glucometer. “A farmer takes a small soil sample, mixes it with a reagent, and applies it to our paper-based sensor. Within five minutes, our mobile app provides actionable insights based on the soil type and crop,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Rather than increasing the number of costly and resource-intensive labs, Rajul and her team developed Nutrisens, a portable device that simplifies soil testing to the ease of using a glucometer. “A farmer takes a small soil sample, mixes it with a reagent, and applies it to our paper-based sensor. Within five minutes, our mobile app provides actionable insights based on the soil type and crop,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}The birth
Would increasing the number of soil testing labs solve the problem? Rajul realised that this would not be a solution, as setting up labs is too expensive and requires skilled manpower, infrastructure, and electricity, which may not be available in remote villages. This is one reason many labs that were started are now closed due to lack of resources. “Why couldn’t we make soil testing as simple as the glucometer that we use to check for blood sugar?” she said. With that in mind, Rajul, along with Mukul, used her doctorate research at IIT to build Nutrisens, a portable gadget that aims to help farmers test soil in a matter of minutes.
“We developed Nutrisens, a device that uses electrochemical technology just like that of a glucometer but adapted for soil testing. What it does is use a paper-based sensor strip to measure six key soil parameters. A farmer has to take a small scoop of farm soil, mix it with a reagent solution, and put a drop of this soil-with-reagent solution onto the paper sensor. Within five minutes, the mobile app we developed will display the result with actionable insights based on the type of soil and the crop.”
Validation and expert endorsements
After a decade of research, Rajul developed Nutrisens to help farmers get quick results on their soil’s health. “It is a widely held belief by experts in the agri domain that chemical testing is the most reliable one, and since our device is based on electrochemical inputs, it has become very popular with many soil experts like Shubham Durgude, a former Mahindra official; Sudipto Das from Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI); one Shekib Ahmed from a tea estate and more,” said Rajul, adding that “to get an unbiased view of Nutrisens, it was validated by Tamil Nadu Agriculture University and cross-validated by many clients such as Indorama in Uzbekistan and Dayatani in Indonesia.”
Financial and operational backing
Developing Nutrisens required significant resources in terms of people, money, and time. Rajul collaborated with Mukul and other experts on research for over a decade. Besides creating the prototype, conducting field trials, and filing patents, they received grants of over ₹1.5 crore from Atal Innovation Mission, Department of Science & Technology (DST) Nidhi Prayas, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) Pusa, and Social Alpha’s Krishi Mangal project as part of CISCO’s corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Market integration and global strategy
Given that Nutrisens eliminates the need for labs for soil testing and is a farm gate technology, it removes the huge capital investment that labs require. “From ₹5 lakh to ₹75 lakh, labs have to pay for rent, maintenance, and skilled personnel. But with Nutrisens, all this is done away with. There is no need for any physical infrastructure, electricity, batteries, or scientists. The high costs and operational challenges of setting up labs at the village level are addressed by Nutrisens, which can provide soil testing services at a fraction of the cost,” Rajul said.
The innovation aims to employ rural men and women, providing them with a day’s training to enable them to use Nutrisens and provide soil testing services to farmers in their village. Farmer producer organisations and farmers producer companies (FPCs) can also use Nutrisens to provide soil testing to their group of farmers, ensuring quality produce. “Since Nutrisens is pre-calibrated and soil-independent, it can be easily scaled to any geography without the need for recalibration, unlike chemical-free optical measurement devices that rely on predictive models,” Rajul said.
According to Rajul, “Nutrisens holds significant potential in the global soil testing market, driven by the increasing demand for improved agricultural productivity and stringent soil health regulations. Our strategy focuses on forming strategic alliances and establishing super distributorships to facilitate market entry and expansion in key regions such as North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Collaborations with local distributors, agricultural cooperatives, and research institutions will enhance distribution and market penetration.”
Competition
There is spectroscopy which may seem simple and cost effective compared to chemical testing, but what experts across the globe believe that chemical-based soil-testing is far superior to chemical-free spectroscopy.
“This is because chemical-based testing involves the extraction of ions from solutions, providing precise and dependable results. While spectroscopy lacks the accuracy and reliability required for detailed soil analysis, our chemical-based approach ensures comprehensive and exact measurements. We have spent many years developing and refining our technology to address the limitations of existing soil testing methods. We understand that traditional chemical methods can be complex and time-consuming, but we have innovated to simplify these processes, effectively bringing the laboratory to the farm. Our solution combines the robustness of chemical testing with user-friendly, efficient procedures, making it both scalable and practical for widespread use. By studying and analysing various soil testing technologies, we have built a system that mitigates the challenges faced by current methods, to provide a reliable and scalable solution that stands out in the global market. Our commitment to accuracy and reliability makes our chemical-based soil testing technology Nutrisens superior to any other alternative available today,” she said.
Real-world impact: Boosting grape yields
Farmers like Chetan Dattatreya Deshmukh, a dedicated grape grower from Rajapur, Dindori tehsil in Nashik, have seen remarkable improvements using Nutrisens. Before adopting the device, he struggled with delayed and inaccurate soil nutrient data, risking reduced crop yields and potential income loss. After integrating Nutrisens into his routine, he received instant soil test results, enabling him to identify nutrient deficiencies promptly and apply the necessary fertilisers, significantly improving grape yields and preventing substantial income loss.
Future prospects
Plans include expanding market presence both within India and internationally. The company also aims to enhance Nutrisens’ capabilities and potentially develop new products to address other agricultural needs. Ongoing research and user feedback will guide these developments to ensure they meet farmers’ evolving requirements. Differentiating by emphasising regulatory compliance, competitive pricing, and user-friendly advanced technology, Nutrisens aims to build brand recognition and customer trust globally.
The company is poised to position itself as a leader in precision agriculture and sustainable farming solutions worldwide, ensuring reliable and scalable soil testing technologies that meet the needs of a diverse global market.