Food Safety for Nutrition Entrepreneurs

 

Food Safety for Nutrition Entrepreneurs

 

Dr. Bhaskar Datta,Associate Professor, Chemistry (Jointly with Biological Sciences and Engineering), IIT Gandhinagar, https://iitgn.ac.in/faculty/chemistry/fac-bhaskar
 

Over the past decade, the print and electronic media in India has covered food safety in an unprecedented manner. The presence of adulterants or hazards in food have routinely made their way to front pages of newspapers and prime time discourse on news channels. Interestingly, such news has often been co-opted in turf-wars spanning politics, business, marketing and advertising. The greater volume of incidents where food safety has been apparently compromised, is a reflection of increasing technical vigilance and regulatory outreach, and attempts by numerous stakeholders to improve socio-cultural awareness about food safety. Food safety has assumed significance considering the phenomenal growth in food entrepreneurship over the past decade. In this context, the journey of food items from the farm to the plate is incredibly complex, with a plethora of factors affecting supply-chain, processing and manufacturing of food products. Nevertheless, the major issues pertaining to food safety can be easily resolved by developing a systematic understanding of the underlying principles. Such understanding is likely to especially benefit micro, small and medium food enterprises, that have products belonging to a limited range of food categories. Food safety in India falls under the ambit of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, that requires conformity of food products with the Food Safety and Standards Rules of 2011. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has developed a comprehensive set of regulations that are collectively termed the Food Safety & Standards Regulations (FSSR) of 2011. The FSSR codifies the requirements of components and processes that are part of commercial activities involving food. Among other mandates, the FSSR governs licensing and registration of food businesses, describes acceptable quality parameters of food products and additives, and identifies undesirable contaminants that the food product needs to be devoid of. The Act, Rules and Regulations can all be accessed via www.fssai.gov.in.

 

Food safety is closely tied to the presence of chemical and biological hazards at levels greater than prescribed thresholds. Such thresholds are set as part of the FSSR, and are being continuously expanded to include additional food products or product categories, and chemical hazards such as newer antibiotics and pesticides. The current FSSR identifies the food safety standards for more than 500 food products/product categories that belong to 16 food categories. The 16 food categories are aligned with global food categorization systems. The maximum residue level (MRL) for nearly 150 pesticides and insecticides, and a large number of antibiotics and veterinary drugs, apart from a host of metal contaminants, crop contaminants, and naturally occurring toxic substances, are also established as part of the FSSR. Food spoilage is closely associated with the presence of microorganisms predominantly in the form of bacteria and fungi. The food matrix is a rich source of nutrients for growth of these microorganisms and the development of their pathogenic characteristics. More than 100 million incidents of foodborne infections are anticipated in India every year, and are likely to rise to nearly 175 million each year by 2030. The tremendous adaptability of microorganisms can render them viable even after pasteurization and refrigeration of specific food products. Bacteria possess a massive repository of response pathways that ensure their survival and evolution in response to standard food preservation strategies. Cross-protection plays a significant role in stress resistance, where the bacterial response to a primary intervention such as refrigeration, also provides protection from secondary interventions such as high salt concentrations.
 

Considering the expansive scope of the FSSR, identifying critical risk factors relevant to specific products of the nutrition entrepreneurs supported by WIN Foundation, may appear overwhelming. Appreciation of the standards and rules affecting specific manufactured food products would first require an understanding of food safety from the following broad perspectives: (1) materials and ingredients used, (2) processes deployed towards the preparation of final product, and (3) packaging and storage conditions employed. Intuitively, certain ingredients, processes, and storage constraints are likely to render the corresponding food products as riskier than others. For example, a legacy cultural snack item (farsaan) that relies on use of spice mixtures may be viewed as unsafe due to commonly held notion of adulteration in spices. On the other hand, many Indian sweets (mithai) could become unsafe based on their storage conditions and non-conformity with expiry dates. The nuances underlying the potentially unsafe nature of a farsaan vis-à-vis a mithai can be understood if the risk factors are rated according to the materials used, processes deployed and packaging and storage conditions of the respective products. Such understanding cannot be obviously sought from news items reporting on specific incidents of food safety. Addressing the gaps in understanding is likely to remove the notion of false binaries, where the safety of specific food products is either always suspect or never-to-be-suspected.
 

How could the nutrition entrepreneurs supported by the WIN Foundation ensure safety of their products and compliance with regulatory guidelines? This question can be addressed in two parts: (1) identifying the specific food safety issues concerning their products, and (2) ensuring routine quality assessments and regulatory compliance. However, ventures originating from economically disadvantaged individuals or groups may face resource constraints in doing the needful towards both of these responses. Over the past decade, FSSAI has significantly improved knowledge-facilitation for food product entrepreneurs, with single-window access to product testing and scientific support provided by state food labs. While the regulatory guidelines are publicly available, the micro or small food enterprises may need to identify suitable resource persons who can cut through the dense information and convey relevant parts effectively. Such one-time guidance would simplify tasks for the nutrition entrepreneurs, and help them focus on good manufacturing practices and quality assessment methods. Many private and government laboratories can conduct suitable scientific tests on the prepared food products. Certain food products may also benefit from scrutiny performed by rapid food analytical testing (RAFT) kits, that are approved by FSSAI. The nutrition entrepreneurs should factor in the testing charges as part of their routine commercial operations. Considering the product portfolio of the nutrition entrepreneurs, development of customized analytical assays and kits in consultation with academic and research institutions may result in long-term benefits for the entire venture.

Greater awareness about food safety is aligned with an increase in urbanization and rise in purchasing power of large segments of the population. The nutrition entrepreneurs of Gujarat can easily tap into quality markets by rigorously embracing food safety as part of their operational paradigm.
 

Picture 1: Illustration depicting the journey of food from farm to plate, highlighting key food safety practices like quality checks, hygiene, and testing procedures. It showcases the role of nutrition entrepreneurs and regulatory compliance in ensuring safe food products.
 

Picture 2: Image showing food  Categories' of FSSR

Picture3 : Diagram of Food safety management system

Smart Packaging: A Game-Changer for India's Food Industry

  Avisha Rana, Sr. Project Associate – Nutrition, WIN Foundation)  

India faces a dual challenge when it comes to food: ensuring food and nutrition security for its large population and tackling the massive food wastage that occurs along the supply chain. The country wastes around 67 million tons of food each year, enough to feed millions. In a country where agricultural production is the backbone of the economy, inefficient storage, spoilage, and supply chain disruptions significantly contribute to food loss. It also means loss of income for the farmers, including the vast numbers of poor and marginal farmers, and other participants in the supply chain. Also, losses in perishables like fruits, vegetables and herbs, lead to serious impact on our nutrition outcomes, and also disincentivises growing of fruit and vegetables, in favour of cash crops or grains.

 Smart packaging technologies are emerging as a promising solution, especially in India’s rapidly modernizing food industry. By integrating advanced materials, sensors, and data analytics, smart packaging can extend shelf life, reduce spoilage, and improve food safety.

India faces significant challenges in food waste and supply chain inefficiencies. Innovative Smart packaging offers solutions by extending shelf life, prevent spoilage, improving food safety, and reducing environmental impact of packaging and food waste.       

Packaging innovations like Active packaging, intelligent packaging, edible and biodegradable packaging, and reusable packaging are set to transform how food is packaged, stored, and consumed in India.

This article explores the potential of smart packaging in revolutionizing India's food industry and addressing the challenges associated with food waste.

Active packaging technologies, designed to enhance shelf life by interacting with the food environment, are proving highly effective in the Indian context, given India’s hot and humid climate, a major reason for food spoilage.

This technology works by extending the freshness of food through packaging that interacts with its environment. For example, oxygen scavengers absorb excess oxygen, which helps keep snacks, bread, and packaged foods from spoiling. Moisture regulators, like desiccants and humidity control pouches, help maintain the right moisture levels in dried goods such as spices, pulses, and snacks, preventing them from going bad.

 

 Antimicrobial packaging is particularly useful for fresh meat, dairy, and ready-to-eat meals, as it slows down the growth of bacteria and fungi, keeping the food fresh for longer and reducing the risk of illness. These smart packaging solutions are becoming increasingly important, especially in India's urban areas, where the demand for processed and packaged food is growing.

Intelligent packaging is also gaining traction, offering real-time monitoring of food quality through time-temperature indicators (TTIs), freshness sensors, and pH indicators. Intelligent 

packaging solutions are increasingly being used in India’s growing retail sector, including supermarkets and e-commerce platforms. As more Indians turn to online food shopping, ensuring food safety and freshness is critical, and intelligent packaging provides the tools for real-time monitoring. This type of packaging equipped with sensors and indicators, provides real-time monitoring of food quality, ensuring that products are stored and transported under optimal conditions.

 

In particular, Time-temperature indicators (TTIs) are especially useful for dairy, seafood, and meat

industries in India. They track if the food has been kept at the right temperature during transport, even when there are power outages or delays. Freshness sensors detect gases released by spoiling fruits and vegetables, which can help reduce waste in India’s agriculture sector. pH indicators in packaging are also being used more in meat and seafood products, giving instant updates on food safety for both shoppers and store owners.

Edible and biodegradable packaging is becoming relevant as India is increasingly focusing on

sustainability, driven by initiatives like the Swachh Bharat Mission and progressive bans on single-use plastics.  They provide eco-friendly packaging solutions, which can significantly reduce plastic pollution in the country’s vast food industry.

Edible packaging, made from natural ingredients like seaweed or rice
starch, can replace plastic wraps for items such as sweets, fruits, and vegetables, which are popular in India.

On the other hand, biodegradable packaging made from plant-based materials, including agricultural waste, offers a sustainable option for Indian manufacturers aiming to lessen their environmental impact. By utilizing materials like bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane, India can leverage locally sourced biodegradable options to help minimize

landfill waste and promote a healthier environment. These eco-friendly packaging options not only align with India's sustainability goals but also offer practical solutions for reducing plastic pollution and promoting a cleaner, greener future. The usage of agricultural waste also enables greater earning opportunity to farmers, farm waste supply chain and manufacturers of these packaging materials.

Reusable and refillable packaging models reflect another dimension of India’s growing concern about plastic waste. Some Brands in India are embracing these solutions to combat the environmental impact of single-use plastics and promote sustainability.

A good example is Loop (LOOP Mission is a circular economy company fighting food waste by repurposing the outcasts of the food industry), a company that offers products in strong containers made of stainless steel or glass. These containers can be returned to the store for refilling, which helps cut down on single-use plastics. This idea is becoming popular, especially in big cities, where more people are aware of how harmful plastic waste can be.

As a result, consumers in urban areas are looking for packaging that is better for the environment. This change is an important step towards a more sustainable future, where materials are reused instead of throwing away.

The Future of Smart Packaging in India

Smart packaging technologies holds immense potential to transform India’s food supply chain by addressing inefficiencies, extending product shelf life, and improving food safety. With the government’s (National Mission on Food Processing) increasing investment in food processing and cold chain infrastructure, smart packaging technologies will play an essential role in reducing food waste and creating more sustainable supply chains. As India’s food processing industry grows — projected to reach USD 535 billion by 2025 — the need for smarter, more sustainable packaging solutions will continue to rise. As sustainability becomes a key concern, the push for biodegradable, edible, and reusable packaging solutions will reshape India’s packaging industry, reducing its reliance on harmful plastics.

The food industry in India is not homogenous, and has national, regional and very small players. The vast food diversity across India means that all players, in addition to food made at home play their role in building India’s nutrition security and maximize farmers’ incomes. So appropriate solutions using such smart technologies have to be developed also for smaller producers including food micro-entrepreneurs. Some of the technologies may also have impact in storage at home for fresh and cooked food to retain nutrition and freshness and reduce waste. This will also provide opportunities for Indian startups to develop technologies for various players in food industry.

Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of food safety and sustainability, driving demand for smart packaging solutions. Technological advancements in materials science, sensor technology, and data analytics are enabling the development of innovative smart packaging solutions.

In conclusion, smart packaging technologies offer a pathway to a more sustainable and efficient future for India’s food industry. By reducing spoilage, extending shelf life, and offering eco-friendly solutions, smart packaging is not just a trend but an essential innovation for addressing India’s food waste and environmental challenges. As India continues to modernize its food sector, the adoption of these technologies will be vital for ensuring food security, minimizing waste, and building a more sustainable future for the country.

 

References:

  National Mission on Food Processing: https://www.mofpi.gov.in/

  Swachh Bharat Mission: https://sbmurban.org/

  National Food Security Act: https://nfsa.gov.in/portal/nfsa-act

  Indian Council of Agricultural Research:

https://www.icar.org.in/

  Food Safety and Standards Authority of India: https://fssai.gov.in/

https://fastercapital.com/content/Sustainable-Solutions-on-the-Menu--Eco-Friendly-Foodtech-Startups-You-Should-Know.html

Case Study – Nutri Kitchen Garden in the dry arid zone of Rapar

 Team WinFoundation Oct 15, 2023  0 Comment  Water Conservation

Author – Ms. Rajul Bharti,CEO, Samerth Charitable Trust

 

Kutch is the second largest district of India, with sea on one side, desert on the other and land on the third. Kutch is now a popular tourist destination, but Rapar- a block in Kutch, is not a tourist hub. It is a dry, arid zone – also known as the dark zone since the ground water extraction is as high as 90 – 100%. The ground is saline, due to its closeness to the desert.

It is not surprising then, that 30% population in Rapar (total population is 2,17,315 (2011 census), 30% is roughly 65,194)   is from the marginalized communities – OBCs, SCs and STs (Rabari, Koli, Harijan etc). Monsoon is erratic and though the average rainfall of Kutch is 377mm – it occurs within a span of few days, and less than 4% of the rainwater can be collected.

 

The SCs and STs – mainly Kolis and Harijans live in Vandhs. Vandhs, are settlements carved out of the village in deep desert lands. In Rapar like in other places, usually the land closest to water sources almost always belongs to the upper and the more powerful castes. The Kolis and harijans feature at the bottom of caste (power) hierarchy and hence have lands in areas with no water source and far away from the main village. Coupled with the ridicule that they face in the village, Kolis since generations decided to set up their homes near their lands. As the family grows, a settlement is formed – and this is called a Vandh. Out of village and administration’s direct purview, Vandhs have poor health and education facilities as well as road connectivity.

 

Poor families typically survive on millet or grain bread, garlic/onion and chilli mix. Pulses or potatoes are sometimes eaten as accompaniments but green vegetables are a rarity. Typically, women who are responsible for all domestic work, along with fetching water from water bodies, raise children, work on their farms prioritize themselves after everyone in else in the family for nutrition.  This impacts their overall health. This is reflected in women’s health at all stages. In adolescent girls – painful, heavy flow, health indicators of pregnant women* – poor weight gain during pregnancy, low birth weight of child, poor milk production and rampant anemia. In older women we found poor health during menopause especially detoriation in bone density and poor immunity (Source: Discussions with doctors from local Primary Health Centres, Asha workers, Aganwadi workers and discussions with community women).

 

Women, thus face a double marginalized – being born in an extremely marginalized community and then facing vulnerability due to their gender. A difficult geography and restrictive social norms leading to further marginalization – directly reflective on their health.

 

Samerth Trust works in Rapar focusing on communities, facilitating construction of more than 1000 ponds, wells, Rain roof water harvesting structures for the poorest families. Samerth in Partnership with WIN Foundation works with the most marginalized women and supports them in growing nutritious green vegetables based on their soil and water capacities. Women are also encouraged and supported to initiate vermicomposting and use the manure for their farms. These women are then capacitated to understand the importance of nutrition – focusing on the women’s health and how nutrition during adolescence and pregnancy is directly related to fetus health and her changing health requirements as she grows older.  These interactions gave rise to newer dialogues on importance of nutrition in women – post their child bearing age.

 

Women groups visit nursery and farms of individuals to learn successful practices of vegetable cultivation in the arid weather of Kutch. They are provided with seeds and sapling of vegetables based on their soil, water analysis, their own interest and food consumption pattern. 5 months into the programme, we see women growing vegetables and have now started consuming fresh vegetables at least once a day. Some have had excess and have started selling in and around their own area.

(From top to bottom, left to right women trained in groups, vermicomposting, soil testing and vegetable harvesting)

 

It is now too early to compare their health indicators with increase in their nutritional intake, but it is expected that that by the end of year this initiative will show demonstrable results. Already, women not part of the initiative are getting interested and have tried to sow vegetable seeds in the kitchen garden on their own.

 

The initiative is aimed to propose a new alternative to the persistent issue of nutritional health of women – especially in remote areas with poorest women in difficult geographies. Such initiatives combined with the Government’s support on the various nutrition related schemes should help to bring in sustainable change.

 

A short clip of one of our nutri kitchen women click here

 

*A quarter of women of reproductive age in India are undernourished, with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 kg/m (Source: NFHS 4 2015-16). It is well known that an undernourished mother inevitably gives birth to an undernourished baby, perpetuating an intergenerational cycle of undernutrition.”

Local Leadership Development efforts and Local Leadership Conference in July, 2024

 

Realizing this potential of local leadership, WIN and ACT set up a target plan before two years for local leadership development, with a premise that such local leaders will be key to scaling up innovations and change. This involved identifying local leaders and then providing a platform, where they interact and get inputs and support for their plans. 

These leaders are also expected to inspire others in surrounding villages to spawn a viral movement for such development. In future, we may try to evolve a more formal training or coaching of these local leaders, to expand the pool of such effective leaders, and to create greater support structure driven primarily by peers among them.
 

As one of these activities, ACT and WIN organized a Local Leadership Conference recently at Kutch University, Bhuj. This received excellent response, with around 100 local leaders participating from village to district levels. They discussed initiatives, challenges and the way forward. Some of the achievements and challenges discussed by local leaders as presented below, demonstrate clearly the potential of local leadership.

Mahendrabhai Gadhavi, former Chairman, Kutch District Panchayat Working Committee
 

The check dam era started  in the nineties.This helped recovery of local water bodies, many of which were encroached or not even registered as water bodies in land records. Subsequently the recharge era began, recognizing the importance of Kankavati aquifer, led to greater role of local people, who were otherwise, earlier dependent on the Kutchi business community in Mumbai.

The District Panchayat committee coordinated with the state government to use local methods and approach to drastically reduce cost per recharge. Through active coordination with Sarpanchs, including a padyatra across villages, Sarpanchs were asked to decide on location of one recharge borewell. Local studies were also used to decide on depth of each recharge borewell. 260 sites were accepted by the state government. This has resulted in improving groundwater levels and substantial reduction in TDS. It has resulted in substantial increase in value of horticulture including mangoes, dates, pomegranates, dragon fruit etc.

Janaksinh Jadeja, President, Kutch District Panchayat

Local leaders working together resulted in lower costs and better quality control of the work being done by contractors under the state government scheme. If local leaders come together then path breaking and large scale work can be done.

Chandrikaben Rangani, Sarpanch, Kanakpar gram panchayat

Our water committee is composed entirely of women members. Every house has a water meter. Our recharge structure was created in 2019. Water harvesting is implemented in every house. Sewage water is used in agriculture. All these are managed by the women of water committee..

Bharmalbhai Gadhavi, Former Sarpanch, Kathda gram panchayat

Ours is a coastal area. Through public contribution to the extent of 50% of cost and "shram daan" (contribution through labour work) by those who could not give money, 11 local water bodies were strengthened and 100 million litres of additional storage capacity created.

As farmers become better off, they may move towards organic farming.
We, local leaders should take initiatives and also motivate 10-20 others to do so.

Amrutbhai Chhabhaiya, Community leader, Patidar Samaj

We led a fundraising campaign from borewell owners and implemented 200 borewell recharges.

Maganbhai Ahir, progressive farmer

Adopted natural farming, and also changed crops, watering, sowing pattern. Strengthened two water bodies by own efforts.

We also did two more detailed interviews with two of the stalwarts, given in the next part.

ACT and Innovations in Village communities – Challenges and Strategies

 

TEAM WINFOUNDATION 

An interview with Dr.Yogesh Jadeja and Dr.Sezina Bhimani, Arid and Communities Technologies

1. Please give introduction of ACTs role in bringing innovations in the village communities

 

Natural resource management at village and community level will be a key determinant of the standard of living and overall village development and well being of the communities.

 

ACT has evolved the concept of Participatory Groundwater Management (PGWM) for water security and sustainability. ACT’s long term experiments and success through PGWM program have shown a more sustainable path towards this, by skilling and active participation in the water security planning, monitoring and management. Alongwith water supply augmentation, water demand management is a crucial component of PGWM. The demand side of water management has logically led to the need to introduce smart or precision farming among the small and marginal farmers. This has potential for not just better water security, but also increased farm incomes with better soil health.  Women-led initiatives have led to nutri-garden projects, bringing more nutrition to their families and also creating opportunities for barter and microentrepreneurship.

 

2. Objectives of bringing Innovations to Grassroot rural communities

Water balance is a key to water management that includes many dynamic parameters such as rainfall, runoff, water storage as surface and groundwater, groundwater dynamics. As every component is a part of water cycle and is dynamic, it is essential to maintain the balance of water input vs output through integrated hydrogeological monitoring that has been framed using innovative technologies.  Rural communities are adopting innovations and technologies in form of mobile phones, household durables, electric motors, etc. Our village society had evolved practices in water use suitable for different locations. However, in view of vastly higher population and their rising aspirations, there is great need for new innovations to be adopted in management of rural Commons – particularly water sources. Innovations for optimised usage of water for farming arises as a key need due to agriculture being the biggest user of water, roughly 80 to 90% of total usage.

As an example, we have introduced soil testing kits at field level. These are very useful for quick analysis of soil, enabling farmers to determine adding soil nutrients. These are particularly useful for organic farming, since organic inputs, by their very nature, have varying strengths of nutrients, requiring farmers to measure and then fine tune nutrient inputs to achieve optimum level.

Our family nutrition practices have also suffered due to reduced agriculture diversity and lack of knowledge in evolving sustainable nutrition practices suitable for modern lifestyles, affecting even villages.

3. Please tell us about the challenges faced in above objectives

Fortunately, several Indian startups and corporates are introducing new products in the above domains, at affordable prices.

ACT and WIN Foundation have worked together to bring several innovative solutions to the grassroot communities. In this process, we have observed several challenges in (i) initiation and execution, (ii) achieving desired impact and (iii) scaling and replicating the practices.

The major challenges are explained below:

1. i) Product and services level:

Startups have limited resources and their founders find it very difficult to reach rural areas, for sales and service.

Also innovative products, by their very nature, require extensive trials and refinements, to reach maturity stage.

As the users themselves are not familiar with such products, continuous training, and guidance are required for these trials and feedback needs to be obtained.

Demonstrating the benefits of innovations to users is essential for the continued adoption. This is challenging as impact is often dependent on a series of steps including multiple products, and requiring measurements over a few seasons and explaining the same to users in simple terms. Farmers used to follow the practices and tools available locally and being in used in the respective region widely. Therefore, the tools need to be mainstream in local market and need wide adaptation among the farmer communities.

ACT’s participative approach has helped here by training rural young men and women for these tasks. As the variety of products and their technical complexity increases, there is a need to train at least some rural youth with greater technical skills to install, train users and do basic maintenance. Getting technical assistance from cities is neither affordable nor scalable in the long run.

While we have shown impact of many of the innovations, the challenge to show significant impact to create demand for the products is still not tackled.

We have now launched an integrated project providing a series of innovations and practices towards precision farming, to show major improvements. For this, we are collaborating with multiple partners, including WIN Foundation, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, several startups, to bring increased expertise to rural areas including local capacity building.

We hope to show significant results in terms of better soil health, higher yield and incomes and greater health for local communities. Alongwith this, we aim to create a local village level cadre with skills in leading the villages to adopt these practices at scale.

The next challenge is market linkages. Here again, we have brought innovations like low cost cooling systems, for storage and transport of perishables. In coming years, we aim to train our women nutri-gardeners, to use their surplus to produce nutritious food supplements and products.

For scaling up across a vast number of villages, we are also working on developing local leadership at village level, to enable village level initiatives to take of the vast diversities in our country.

4. Please mention some areas where good innovations are required

We see great need for affordable and mature innovations for  soil and water quality and and water quantity with higher efficiency of results. Soil moisture meter needs to be upgraded with guideline for decision making to schedule irrigation for various crop types.

 

There is a need of integrated guideline considering different soil types, its quality and suitable crop types. Water irrigation control for high HP pumpset at a reasonable price with robustness to work in tough rural environment is another unmet need.

 

Small powered farm implements, for de-weeding, harvesting, removing crop residue after harvesting, etc., in small farms. Seed bank for local varieties and indigenous seeds.

 

5. Please mention about ACTs partnership with WIN Foundation to support in bringing innovations

 

WIN Foundation, through its experience and linkages in startup ecosystem have regularly brought new innovative products and also arranged for training of ACT members in installation and usage.

 

ACT and WIN Foundation have also conceptualised the program for integration of data  services to bring greater value to farmers. Together with other partners, we aim to move towards our goal of taking society to science and enable villages to adopt technologies and products to improve their quality of life and quality and productivity of their work.

 

Somewhere we need to bring this entire region specific concept in a service mode available locally and easily accessible to farmers.

 

Dr.Yogesh Jadeja, Founder Director and Geohydrologist at Arid Communities and Technologies (https://www.linkedin.com/in/yogesh-jadeja-a703611a6/?originalSubdomain=in)

 

Dr.Sezina Bhimani, Founder director and Geohydrologist at Geo science services

(https://www.linkedin.com/in/sazina-bhimani-96b17718/?originalSubdomain=in)

Technology transfer: Possibilities in resource management

Technology transfer: Possibilities in resource management

 An overview by WIN Foundation

(Author: Ms. Aishani Goswami)

 

‘What gets measured, gets managed’ is a quote often used in sustainable resource management discussions. Regular monitoring of land cover change, conducting tree and animal census forms the basis for forest management. Traditional agricultural practices were based in indigenous knowledge, organic inputs, and involved practice / experience based on people’s science. With advancements in science and increase in the scale of agriculture, use of technology in the farms becomes imperative. And in this context measuring parameters like soil moisture, water availability, soil and water quality, weather prediction will help farmers make educated decisions at her farm.

 

With our implementing partner, Arid Communities and Technologies, we envisioned an integrated agriculture-water-soil data monitoring system with an objective to give advisory to farmers to make farm level decisions, such as cropping patterns, water saving techniques, soil health improvement. It incorporates a multi-layered study of local geographic, climatic, hydro-geological, water and soil studies, by creating an integrated system of data collection, storage and analysis.

‘Bhujal Jankars’, who are community resource persons trained by us in practical applications of hydro-geology, play a key role in this process. They have a good rapport with the community, are scientifically informed and collect data for various parameters using respective instruments. We train them to understand

1. The importance of data
2. Science based farming practices
3. Theory of data parameters such as soil moisture, groundwater level, TDS, soil quality parameters
4. Interpreting data of above mentioned parameters
5. Understanding trends and changes in data parameters
6. Communicating and explaining to farmers about collected data

We have evolved data collection and storing techniques. What began as field diary entries, have become structured formats, to google forms and now a farmer App that we have developed in partnership with SoilSens. This app is connected with SoilSens soil moisture collection equipment, and also stores groundwater level and quality data, soil quality parameters, and weather parameters.

 

 

 

(Field soil testing kit and BJs measuring soil moisture on field)

(Integrated data system to measure different parameters)

 

Challenges and way forward:

Smart farming is an evolving field, and in our attempts of creating pilot farms implementing smart farming, we have learnt a lot.

• It is important to understand the importance of data and regular data collection, and gradually build a vision around smart farming. In absence of such an understanding, regular data collection can seem to become monotonous and burdensome. So, at regular intervals we organise workshops with experts, farmers, Bhujal Jankars and our staff to build this vision.
• Data can sometimes feel abstract, especially when it is stored on servers. So it is important for farmers and field teams to access data easily and make sense of it through visualisations, discussions with peers and guidance from subject experts.
• It is also important to develop a language to communicate scientific concepts, data parameters and its application in farming to farmers. This language needs to be regional, clear and simple to understand.
• Sometimes smart farming technology can seem daunting, especially to farmers who may not be exposed to it. So, it is important to train farmers in the practical applications of technology and handhold them till they feel confident enough to use and explore on their own.
• As a process smart farming could involve multiple stakeholders including farmers, scientists, domain experts, startups and technology providers, NGOs, government. It is crucial to develop inclusive partnerships and ensure that the technology reaches the farmers in farmer-friendly ways.

 

If this is a topic that interests you, get in touch with us at info@winfoundations.org, we are happy to learn from you and share our experiences.

Water- A Relation with society- Perspective, Problems and Solutions and Approach

 

Water- A Relation with society- Perspective, Problems and Solutions and Approach

Team :  WinFoundation Jan 6, 2024  Water Conservation

Author – Dr. Sazina Bhimani, Geohydrologist, Founder and Director of  Geo Science Services, Bhuj-Kutch

Water is an integral part of human life linked with basic needs for drinking and livelihood. Water is chemically formed as H2O but it has many social forms when it linked with different communities and different purposes. Earlier, water demand was met only in terms of its availability through local sources. Community used to  set up social norms and adopt water utilization as per the quantity and quality of local sources.  In the current times, the terms have been changed. Water demand is evaluated as bias and fashion- like public source, private source, source type, quantity, quality and availability. While  people are aware about the importance of water, particularly their needs in terms of quantity and quality,  but are  not sensitized to manage the resource. The mindset is to get adequate and safe drinking water that should be assured and supplied by the relevant authority. On other hand, when water connects with their livelihoods such as agriculture and animal husbandry, people value it more.  Richness of water resource directly affect the economic return from their livelihood. However, quantum of drinking and domestic water is less compared to current demand and we are not able to manage it across the regions.

Looking at social aspects, people have various community division based on religion and livelihood. In rural areas, water distribution and ownership varies from rich/higher caste to poor/lower caste categories. The social norms still exist in some parts but the term has been changed as one more layer has been added that is owning rich and potential water resources. Water in association with economy creates a different social division within and among the community. Water also become a political agenda, from local to national level.

Right from beginning, water always been a political and administrative agenda. Water is considered as a competitive atmosphere without looking at potential and need for any specific region.  All these factors have degraded the water resources of the region. Kachhchh region is the example that shows water history from the rich Dholavira heritage to the current and advances water sources. Even the water demand norms based water requirement couldn’t be matched with local source that has changed the user’s mindset. This has led a trend from sustainability to dependency, from decentralized to centralized system and from local to external source. Urbanization and industrialization add more pressure on overall water budget.

All these factors show that there is a big gap between requirement and potential of the source. The natural cycle of water has been totally missed out by users and suppliers. Human beings are  one of the users of water cycle along with other systems. Water cycle of the region defines its potential and availability, that should be the base for water management. Sound water management can be achieved with scientific and participatory approach.

The participatory approach integrates social, scientific and management aspects that leads towards the water sustainability. Considering participatory approach, a project model can be designed for different types of area and users with following common set of parameters:

• Geo-hydrological study to understand the natural potential and scope of development
• Water demand and water budgeting
• Supply management through integration of surface and groundwater development
• Demand management from individual unit to collective unit
• Resource monitoring and evaluation
• Development of decision making tools
• Demonstration and scale up

Further to achieve following efforts need to be done at different level such as social aspects, scientific aspects and management aspects.

• Social aspects:
  • Community/users sensitization that help to change mindset
  • Sensitization of the development and management authorities at all the level
  • Utilization of traditional knowledge in resource development plan
  • Decision makers knowledge strengthening for monitoring and groundwater recharge techniques
  • Community involvement throughout all the social and economic division with equity
• Scientific aspects:
  • Accounts of surface and groundwater resource
  • Problem and potential mapping
  • Water budgeting
  • Demand and supply management plan
  • Creation of evidences of participatory management using technological tools
• Management aspects:
  • Decision making system set up
  • Set up usage norms and guideline
  • Resource monitoring
  • Mainstreaming and scale up
  • Learning, review and upgradation

Rainfall is the main source of water that being received every year. When rainwater touches the earth surface, it gets related with administrative boundaries  like village, district, state. From this point, water division starts naturally, socially and administratively. Each region receives different amount of rainfall and have different set of technique to harvest it. In every situation, water budget specific management can lead towards the sustainability excluding all the social, administrative and political division. Water should be evaluated and developed as per the demand and potential supply only.