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Cricketer MS Dhoni-backed <keyword id="22760229" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="drone-technology-firm" source="keywords">drone technology firm</keyword> <keyword id="20401750" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Garuda-Aerospace" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Garuda Aerospace" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Garuda Aerospace">Garuda Aerospace</keyword> on Monday announced its entry in the <keyword id="22760228" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sri-Lankan-market" source="keywords">Sri Lankan market</keyword> where it will primarily target <keyword id="19915424" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="agricultural-sector" source="keywords">agricultural sector</keyword> to enhance farming practices, besides exploring opportunities in <keyword id="20695675" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="homeland-security" source="keywords">homeland security</keyword> and industrial applications. As part of the company's global expansion plans, the foray into Sri Lanka will also support Garuda in capitalising on the country's strategic location and drone-friendly regulatory environment, Garuda Aerospace said. The company said it is looking to spread its presence in at least 50 countries over the next few years, and has set aside USD 10 million, of the over Rs 100 crore revenue it delivered in FY24, to fuel the international growth. "This (expansion into Sri Lanka) isn't merely about growth, it's about unlocking the full potential of drone technology to create substantial impacts across various sectors. Sri Lanka's diverse landscape allows us to showcase how our innovative solutions can bring tangible benefits, from agriculture to infrastructure," said Agnishwar Jayaprakash, Founder and CEO of Garuda Aerospace. Garuda Aerospace, which produces small and medium category drones, had partnered with Greek manufacturer Spirit Aeronautical Systems early this year. It has also signed a pact with French aerospace giant Thales to promote growth and innovation in India's drone sector. Spirit Aeronautical specialises in rotary and fixed-wing weaponised drones. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/saraswati-saree-depot-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/112457330.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/webstories/saraswati-saree-depot-ipo-price-band-to-risk-factors-all-you-need-to-know/slidelist/112457330.cms" target="_blank">Saraswati Saree Depot IPO – Price band to risk factors, all you need to know</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-wearables-market-decline-for-the-first-time-as-smartwatch-shipments-fall/articleshow/112397246.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-wearables-market-decline-for-the-first-time-as-smartwatch-shipments-fall/articleshow/112397246.cms" target="_blank">India’s wearables market decline for the first time as smartwatch shipments fall</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-curvv-ev-with-up-to-585-km-range-launched-starting-at-17-49-lakh/slidelist/112342769.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/tata-curvv-ev-with-up-to-585-km-range-launched-starting-at-17-49-lakh/slidelist/112342769.cms" target="_blank">Tata Curvv EV with up to 585 km range launched starting at ₹17.49 lakh</a>

Garuda Aerospace enters Sri Lankan market

Bengaluru: Last week, <keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="265" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> unveiled a series of new AI-powered partnerships aimed at advancing healthcare, <keyword id="19895783" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sustainability" source="keywords">sustainability</keyword>, and agriculture in India The tech giant is collaborating with both local and international organisations to implement AI-driven solutions in <keyword id="21690244" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diabetic-retinopathy" source="keywords">diabetic retinopathy</keyword> screening, urban waste management, and agricultural development. According to Google, these announcements were made during a roundtable in Bengaluru, marking the fifth anniversary of Google's Research Lab in the city. This follows the 10th edition of the Google for India event, which showcased the potential of AI to benefit individuals, businesses, and society at large. Dr Manish Gupta, Research Director of Google DeepMind, stated, "Collaborating with key Indian organisations, our focused research in India across language understanding, healthcare, agriculture, and sustainability is helping tackle many of the country's unique challenges and creating AI-led solutions that will improve billions of lives." Google is working with <keyword id="23588208" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Forus-Health" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Forus Health" meta.hostid="265" meta.entityid="Forus Health">Forus Health</keyword> and AuroLab in India and Perceptra in Thailand to provide 6 million AI-assisted screenings for diabetic retinopathy over the next decade. These screenings aim to detect and prevent blindness in diabetic patients, particularly in resource-limited communities. The AI model has already supported over 600,000 screenings worldwide, with initial research and deployment carried out in India. Sunny Virmani, Group Product Manager, Health AI Research at Google, remarked, "From our initial research to the first patient screening in Madurai, India, we've been committed to translating AI's potential into meaningful change for people globally. And now the partnerships with Forus Health, AuroLab, and Perceptra are helping us expand on this commitment, as a global network of innovators comes together to eradicate preventable blindness due to diabetic retinopathy." Google's CircularNet, an AI-driven computer vision model for waste management, is being deployed in partnership with Bengaluru-based Saahas Zero Waste. CircularNet helps identify and sort plastic waste, facilitating recycling and reducing the strain on landfills. Powered by Google's TensorFlow, the model has shown approximately 85% accuracy in detecting plastic waste during a pilot programme, potentially boosting revenue for material recovery facilities by 10-12%. To support data-driven decision-making in agriculture, Google is also opening its Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API to developers. The API leverages satellite imagery and machine learning to provide farm-level insights, such as field boundaries, water bodies, and vegetation. The technology aims to optimise resource allocation and guide sustainable farming practices in India. (ANI)

Google announces AI-led collaborations for India's health, sustainability, and agriculture sectors

The pre-budget <keyword id="20613906" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Economic-Survey" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Economic Survey" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Economic Survey">Economic Survey</keyword> on Monday called for urgent reforms in India's <keyword id="19915424" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="agricultural-sector" source="keywords">agricultural sector</keyword>, warning that the structural issues could impede the country's overall <keyword id="19900794" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="economic-growth" source="keywords">economic growth</keyword> trajectory. The survey, tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister <keyword id="19916618" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nirmala-sitharaman" source="keywords">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword>, highlighted the untapped potential of the <keyword id="20682012" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-agriculture" source="keywords">Indian agriculture</keyword> sector compared to other economies. Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran called for a pan-India dialogue on the agriculture sector. The survey, presented ahead of the annual budget, emphasised that India has yet to fully leverage its agricultural sector for economic growth and job creation, unlike East Asian economies and Western developed nations. "Indian agriculture is not in a crisis now but requires a serious <keyword id="20544318" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="structural-transformation" source="keywords">structural transformation</keyword> because climate change and water criticality loom large in the times to come," the survey stated. The CEA advocated for a reassessment of existing policies, despite current government subsidies and support measures for farmers. "The payoff will be immense if we untie the knots that bedevil farm sector policies," Nageswaran said in the survey's preface. While the government provides substantial support to farmers through subsidies on water, electricity, and fertilizers, along with income tax exemptions and minimum support prices, there is room for improvement in policy implementation, he added. The survey identified several key challenges, including balancing growth with food inflation management, improving price discovery, and addressing land fragmentation. To address these challenges, the survey recommends multi-pronged reforms, which include: upgrading agricultural technology, enhancing marketing avenues, adopting farming innovations, reducing input wastage, and improving the agriculture-industry linkages. The document stressed the need to shift focus from basic <keyword id="19992806" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-security" source="keywords">food security</keyword> to nutritional security, aligning with a 'demand-driven food system' that is both nutritious and environmentally sustainable. The survey suggested that policymakers must strike a delicate balance between incentivizing farmers to increase production and keeping food prices within acceptable limits. "This dual objective requires careful policy interventions." The survey also emphasized the need for a farmer-friendly policy framework to ensure markets function in farmers' interests. It recommended avoiding bans on futures or options markets at the first sign of price spikes; invoking bans only under exceptional circumstances; re-examining the inflation-targeting framework; increasing the total net irrigated area, and aligning farming practices with <keyword id="22505922" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-considerations" source="keywords">climate considerations</keyword>. Looking ahead to 2047, the survey highlighted the potential of agriculture and allied sectors (horticulture, livestock, fisheries, dairy, and food processing) for sustained <keyword id="20268655" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="employment-generation" source="keywords">employment generation</keyword>. "To sustain growth for nearly a generation up to 2047 or more and to ensure that it makes people's lives better and fulfills their aspirations, bottom-up reforms are necessary," it noted. It suggested that India may need to reconsider the traditional development model of transitioning from agriculture to industry and services.

Economic Survey calls for urgent agricultural reforms; cites growth hurdles

Embarking on a celestial gardening expedition of sorts, NASA has set its sights on an ambitious project: growing plants on the Moon for the very first time! This initiative will be a part of the 2026 <keyword id="13458550" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Artemis-III" source="Orion">Artemis III</keyword> mission, which will see the US space agency send humans back to the lunar surface. As part of this groundbreaking venture, astronauts will set up growth chambers housing various plant species, including duckweed and thale cress, on the Moon. These plants are carefully selected for their adaptability to the lunar environment and their potential as sustainable food sources, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/03/31/artemis-iii-mission-nasa-to-grow-plants-on-the-moon/">The Telegraph</a> reports. “Plant growth and development data, along with environmental parameters measured by LEAF, will help scientists understand the use of plants grown on the Moon for both human nutrition and life support on the Moon and beyond,” said NASA in a statement. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The plant candidates" comment="subhead" text="The plant candidates">The plant candidates</cmsannotation> Duckweed, renowned as the smallest flowering plant on Earth, exhibits remarkable resilience and rapid growth rates. Its unique spherical structure, devoid of roots, stems or leaves, makes it well-suited to withstand the challenges of space conditions. Moreover, duckweed provides large amounts of oxygen as well as protein, rendering it an ideal candidate for cultivation in extraterrestrial environments. Thale cress, on the other hand, has already demonstrated its ability to thrive in Moon soil (regolith) collected during the Apollo missions. Despite regolith’s harshness characterised by water scarcity and nutrient deficiencies, this resilient plant species managed to adapt and flourish in it Furthermore, NASA also plans to introduce red and green varieties of Brassica rapa, commonly known as Wisconsin fast plants. These relatives of cabbage and broccoli, with their remarkably swift life cycle, could offer valuable insights into plant growth and adaptation in space environments. The selected plant specimens will be housed within specially designed growth chambers, shielding them from harmful radiation and maintaining optimal growth conditions. These chambers will facilitate the observation and analysis of various plant processes, including photosynthesis and responses to environmental stressors. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The LEAF project" comment="subhead" text="The LEAF project">The <keyword id="21177109" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="LEAF-project" source="Orion">LEAF project</keyword></cmsannotation> The overarching goal of this initiative, dubbed LEAF (<keyword id="21177107" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lunar-Effects-on-Agricultural-Flora" source="Orion">Lunar Effects on Agricultural Flora</keyword>), is to assess how plants fare under lunar conditions, including partial gravity and radiation exposure. The LEAF project is led by Christine Escobar of <keyword id="21177108" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Space-Lab-Technologies" source="Orion">Space Lab Technologies</keyword>, LLC, in Boulder, Colorado. The team is also interested in examining the effects of the lunar environment on the germination process, which will be monitored by scientists on Earth through a remote camera. And following the culmination of the Artemis III mission, the plants will be carefully transported back to Earth, where they will undergo thorough molecular-level analysis. Successful cultivation of crops on the lunar surface could significantly reduce the logistical challenges associated with long-duration space missions. Moreover, by studying plant growth and development on the Moon, scientists hope to gain invaluable insights into extraterrestrial agriculture and its potential role in sustaining human life beyond Earth. In essence, the LEAF project could end up being the seed that revolutionises human space exploration, paving the way for sustainable lunar habitats and long-term space missions.

Lunar farming: Artemis III astronauts will cultivate plants on the Moon’s surface for the very first time!

<keyword id="19902762" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Google" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Google" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Google">Google</keyword> is intensifying its focus on <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword> with the introduction of advanced AI tools aimed at breaking down <keyword id="20932433" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="language-barriers" source="keywords">language barriers</keyword> and enhancing agricultural practices, a senior company official said. Abhishek <keyword id="22795920" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bapna" source="keywords">Bapna</keyword>, Director of Product Management at Google <keyword id="20260498" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="DeepMind" source="keywords">DeepMind</keyword>, highlighted the importance of reducing language barriers in India's economic development. "Language is very essential for economic development. For instance, a language barrier should not hinder someone from explaining their medical issues to a doctor or accessing banking services," Bapna said during his short visit to IIM Calcutta. The tech giant has launched Google <keyword id="19896990" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Gemini" source="keywords">Gemini</keyword>, formerly known as Bard, an artificial intelligence chatbot that supports more than 40 global languages, including nine Indian languages. Bapna added that Google's ongoing focus is on continuously improving language quality and expanding support for more Indian languages in the future. Currently, the chatbot supports nine Indian languages - Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Bapna noted the complexity of India's multilingual environment, where people often use multiple languages simultaneously. This presents unique challenges for AI models, as they must correctly identify and apply the appropriate dictionaries to understand and generate accurate responses, Bapna said. To empower developers in India, Google is expanding <keyword id="22364430" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Project-Vaani" source="keywords">Project Vaani</keyword> in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). The project offers developers over 14,000 hours of speech data across 58 languages, collected from 80,000 speakers in 80 districts. Additionally, Google introduced IndicGenBench, a comprehensive benchmark designed specifically for Indian languages. This initiative aims to assess and fine-tune language models for more accurate and effective use in India. In a parallel effort to support India's agricultural sector, Google is working towards launching the Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API. This limited availability tool is designed to make agricultural practices more data-driven and efficient. The ALU API aims to enhance farm yields, improve access to capital, and provide better market access for farm products. "On agriculture, right now we are conducting a pilot with the Telangana government that is already underway. Once the pilot is complete, we plan to scale it up and engage actively with state governments," Bapna said. He emphasized that Google's agricultural initiatives are driven by two major goals: improving livelihoods and addressing climate change through necessary interventions. "Banks and insurance companies could also be end users. Right now our focus is to make sure that the technology works properly," Bapna said. By offering granular landscape insights at the farm field level, the ALU API is expected to transform India's agricultural ecosystem.

Google to expand AI initiatives in India, targeting language barriers, agricultural efficiency

<keyword id="19919396" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tripura" source="keywords">Tripura</keyword> Agriculture and Farmers Welfare <keyword id="19914583" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minister" source="keywords">Minister</keyword> Ratan Lal Nath on Thursday said that within the next few months, drone technology will be integrated with the state's agriculture sector to address certain challenges. The members of <keyword id="22212826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="womens-self-help-groups" source="keywords">women's self-help groups</keyword> (SHGs) will get the best possible training so that they can operate the drones effectively for different purposes such as <keyword id="22212827" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spraying-fertilisers" source="keywords">spraying fertilisers</keyword> and pesticides in fruit and flower gardens. Speaking to after the inauguration of the new Agriculture Development Research and Training Centre at Killa under the Gomati district of Tripura, Nath said, "The central government has launched the scheme called drone Didi which is especially for women. Soon after the scheme was launched, a state committee was constituted. As per the recommendations of the committee, drones will be sent to the agriculture sub-divisions." According to Nath, the appointment of trainers has already been done who will impart training to the SHG members. "The trainers are already recruited. We hope within the next two months drones will reach each of the 47 agri-subdivisions," he added. The Minister also announced that a special scheme has been undertaken to appoint "Krishi Sakhis (Friends of Farmers)" who provide agriculture-related solutions to the farmers in the rural areas. "One sakhi (friend) will be appointed for one rural local body such as Gram panchayats and Village Committees. We have forwarded the proposal to the central government. If we get the approval, the process of appointing Sakhis will be started immediately." On the agricultural infrastructure he inaugurated, Nath said, "We are setting up new infrastructure in all agri subdivisions. This is a new training center set up for the farmers of the area. All the officials, trainers, and experts will come here and speak to the farmers. Arrangements have also been made for video conferencing." SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-price-hike-new-plans-and-how-you-can-save-money/articleshow/111331794.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-and-airtel-price-hike-new-plans-and-how-you-can-save-money/articleshow/111331794.cms" target="_blank">Reliance Jio and Airtel price hike – new plans and how you can save money</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/allied-blenders-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/111317150.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/allied-blenders-ipo-allotment-how-to-check-allotment-ipo-gmp-listing-date-and-more/articleshow/111317150.cms" target="_blank">Allied Blenders IPO allotment – How to check allotment, IPO GMP, listing date and more</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-july-2024/slidelist/111304902.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/webstories/upcoming-smartphones-launching-in-india-in-july-2024/slidelist/111304902.cms" target="_blank">Upcoming smartphones launching in India in July 2024</a>

Tripura to introduce drones for agriculture purposes, says Minister

As the global urgency to combat <keyword id="19907392" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="climate-change" source="keywords">climate change</keyword> intensifies, all eyes are on India's <keyword id="19955368" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Budget-2024" source="keywords">Budget 2024</keyword>, as there’s no better way to walk the talk than allocating funds. Speculation is rife about the potential measures the government may introduce to accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy future — a move that is supremely necessary after the slew of deadly climate catastrophes that we saw last year. India’s Union Budget 2024 will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a couple of days, and is expected to reflect the nation’s commitment to achieving <keyword id="21280854" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="net-zero-carbon-emissions" source="keywords">net-zero carbon emissions</keyword> by 2070. Here are some of the key initiatives from the interim budget that was presented in February earlier this year, along with their anticipated impacts! <h2>Rooftop Solarisation</h2>One of the most talked-about initiatives is the ambitious rooftop solar programme, which aims to provide free electricity up to 300 units per month to one crore households. If implemented, this move will help in not only cutting down energy bills — a godsend for the middle- and lower-income folks — but will also give households a chance to generate and even sell their surplus power. <h2>Electric Vehicle (EV) Ecosystem</h2>Charging up the electric vehicle movement, the interim budget included measures to expand EV manufacturing and infrastructure in the country. The move aimed to accelerate the adoption of <keyword id="19895203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles" source="keywords">electric vehicles</keyword>, reducing emissions from the transport sector and making your commute cleaner and greener. Additionally, the government seemed keen on encouraging the adoption of electric buses to make urban travel more eco-friendly. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111855546" title="Budget 2024: How will budget affect India’s position in the global space race?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2><keyword id="20495045" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="offshore-wind-energy" source="keywords">Offshore Wind Energy</keyword></h2>Riding the winds of change, the interim budget introduced a viability gap funding for 1 GW of offshore wind energy. As per the Finance Ministry, this initiative aims to harness the power of India’s vast coastline, pushing the envelope on <keyword id="19895602" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="renewable-energy" source="keywords">renewable energy</keyword> and reducing our fossil fuel dependency. <h2><keyword id="22499996" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-green-hydrogen" source="keywords">National Green Hydrogen</keyword> Mission</h2>The interim budget also supercharged the National Green Hydrogen Mission with a massive boost to Rs 600 crore from last year’s Rs 297 crore. The government has continually insisted that Green Hydrogen is set to become the fuel of the future, and this announcement supports its development and adoption, paving the way for cleaner industrial processes. <h2>Coal Gasification and Liquefaction</h2>Switching up the coal game, the interim budget plans to set up coal gasification and liquefaction projects that will be able to process 100 metric tonnes by 2030. These projects aim to make the most out of coal in a cleaner way, especially by reducing our reliance on imported natural gas and slashing emissions. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="111827903" title="Union Budget 2024 for Railways: Expectations focused on improving passenger safety, experience, infrastructure" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>Bioenergy and Biomass Aggregation</h2>Turning waste into wealth, the interim budget has also promised additional financial assistance for biomass aggregation. This, they explain, will help in creating a sustainable model for managing agricultural waste, promoting bioenergy production and giving farmers a new revenue stream. <h2>Research and Development (R&amp;D)</h2>In a nod to innovation, the interim budget allocated a whopping Rs 1 lakh crore for interest-free financing in “sunrise” R&amp;D for emerging <keyword id="19931192" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="green-technologies" source="keywords">green technologies</keyword>. If the government follows through on this promise, the funding could catapult a wave of innovation, supporting the transition to a sustainable energy future. By focusing on renewable energy, reducing carbon emissions, and supporting green technologies, India’s initial budget allocations seem to be taking significant strides towards its net-zero goal. Whether this will ultimately pan out to become a greener and more resilient future for its citizens remains to be seen.

Budget 2024: Key sustainability and energy initiatives that Indian government plans to implement this year

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Eden Green uses high-tech systems to grow greens indoors and reduce the unpredictability of farming.</li><li>The company also aims to draw workers by offering health insurance, paid leave, and a 401(k).</li></ul>The first time Stacia Lewis stepped into the massive greenhouse with 18-foot-high walls of romaine and butterhead lettuce, they knew they had to work there. "It was just like I'm walking into Willy Wonka's factory or something," Lewis told Business Insider. "It looked like everything I had ever wanted." That was three years ago at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.edengreen.com/">Eden Green Technology,</a> and Lewis got the job. They'd never considered a career in agriculture even after having grown up wandering through the hoop houses that dot their aunt's homestead. But Eden Green, which uses a high-tech system for growing staples like arugula lettuce and cooking greens like kale and chard in Cleburne, Texas, where Lewis was raised, won them over.<div type="image" title="Stacia Lewis in a greenhouse" height="2880" width="2160" msid="107778607" hostid="261" sizebytes="489054"></div>One of Eden Green's aims is to remove some of the unpredictability of farming by doing it indoors in soaring greenhouses stacked with rows of greens. The company is also trying to take on another challenge many farms face: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/baby-boomer-retirement-surge-spark-forever-labor-shortage-jobs-workers-2023-5#:~:text=Ever%20since%20the%20pandemic%2C%20American,to%20join%20the%20Great%20Resignation.">finding enough workers</a>. To do that, Eden Green wants to make agriculture feel like other careers. It offers health insurance, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/data-great-place-to-work-maven-paid-parental-leave-benefits-2020-12">paid leave</a>, and it recently introduced a 401(k) — benefits not always available to traditional farm workers.Part of the idea is to pull in workers like Lewis. Finding employees who might not have thought of ag is important because it's an industry that, like healthcare or retail, often <a target="_blank" href="https://www.fb.org/market-intel/h-2a-growth-slows-but-remains-strong">faces trouble drawing enough workers</a>. Eden Green's playbook involves going where the people are. Cleburne, with a population of about 34,000, sits on the edge of the sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth region. That means Eden Green can truck produce to nearby grocery distribution centers and operate in an area with a large enough population to attract job candidates. It's a far cry from traditional US farms, which on average span hundreds of acres in rural areas where <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/farming-and-farm-income/">fewer than one in four Americans</a> live."By solving the distribution problem, we've actually solved the labor problem, too," Eddy Badrina, the company's CEO, told BI. It's a location that's already a draw for workers. There's a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-increased-distribution-center-productivity-13-percent-2019-3">Walmart distribution facility</a> less than half a mile down the road — that Eden Green also supplies its produce to — and an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/former-facebook-microsoft-exec-says-amazon-warehouse-job-cured-burnout-2022-10">Amazon warehouse</a> about 10 miles away, he said. "If you could work with plants and work in something that is, you know, environmentally and economically sustainable, and it's feeding your local community, or you could work at an Amazon warehouse, what would you do?" he said, adding that one isn't necessarily better than the other.When Lewis, 24, came across the job listing for an entry-level role on Eden Green's production team, they were managing a Starbucks. "I just really wanted something more. I wanted to feel like I was doing something good," they said. At its facility of nearly 83,000 square feet, Eden Green does its growing without soil, a process called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bowery-farms-indoor-farm-grows-365-days-a-year-less-water-2018-2">hydroponics</a>. Eden Green said it uses 98% less water and 99% less land than traditional farming. The company is adding greenhouses in Cleburne that will triple its growing capacity. In the next five years, it plans to build 20 greenhouses across the US.The idea of producing basics like lettuce in a different way appealed to Lewis, who'd long been interested in environmental sustainability but wasn't sure how to make that fit with their job. Lewis, who's also a writer, tried college for a while, but they said it didn't feel right.Now, Lewis has moved up and currently holds the job of grower. They spend about half their time at a computer placing orders, monitoring some of the systems used to run the greenhouses, and communicating with vendors. The predictability of the work is part of the appeal for Lewis. "You can still have that agriculture job and have a full-time, steady position," they said. Eden Green has 13 harvests a year, so there aren't the ups and downs for demand in labor as is often the case with traditional growing methods, Badrina said. That changes the foundational <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/some-farmers-working-at-night-to-avoid-extreme-heat-2023-9">assumptions of agriculture</a>. Their workers have to "be in there every single day to plant, to tend, to harvest, to pack," Badrina said.<div type="image" title="Eddy Badrina stands in an Eden Green warehouse" height="768" width="1024" msid="107778610" hostid="261" sizebytes="42074"></div>Eden Green pays $14 to $25 to its hourly workers, who do things like seeding, tending to plants, harvesting, and putting goods into clamshell packaging, he said. There are more than half a dozen roles within a greenhouse that someone can specialize in. "Someone with a high school degree can start at the base and then work their way up," Badrina said. And often, in his experience, younger workers like the idea of doing something meaningful to society.That, he said, helps Eden Green hang onto workers. And it's not just young workers with high school diplomas. The company employs people with advanced degrees in controlled-environment agriculture, horticulture, and plant biology. Eden Green's retention rate has been above 80% for the past nine months, the company said.Room to advance — and the work itself — has kept Lewis at the company, they said. "I do love working with people, but plants have always been a passion of mine. So to be able to join a passion with a career has just been a dream for me," Lewis said.

This indoor farming company is trying to win workers over to agriculture — through desk-job benefits

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota demanded <keyword id="45830" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="bill-gates" source="Orion">Bill Gates</keyword> <keyword id="14519504" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="testify" source="Orion">testify</keyword> over his farmland purchases.</li><li>He told the House <keyword id="11963490" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture" source="Orion">Agriculture</keyword> Committee it shouldn't ignore the amount of farmland Gates owns.</li></ul>A <keyword id="11899365" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="republican" source="Orion">Republican</keyword> lawmaker demanded that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates testify before an agriculture committee over his US farmland purchases.Rep. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota wrote a letter on Wednesday to the House Agriculture Committee chairman David Scott, asking him to call the billionaire philanthropist to give evidence about his acquisitions, according to a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/583348439/Rep-Dusty-Johnson-letter-calling-for-Bill-Gates-to-testify-before-Congress-farmland-buying?secret_password=95IZxYfbc5DyU1G6lTCi">copy</a> of the letter reported by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/south-dakota-republican-calls-bill-gates-testify-agriculture-committee-farm-buy">Fox News</a>.Gates owned 242,000 acres of farmland as of early 2021, according to the <a href="https://landreport.com/2021/01/farmer-bill/">Land Report</a>. He spent <a href="https://www.agweek.com/business/entity-linked-to-billionaire-bill-gates-pays-13-5-million-for-campbell-farms-north-dakota-farmland">$13.5 million</a> in November buying about 2,100 acres in northeast North Dakota, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-tied-farmland-purchase-angers-north-dakota-2022-6">angering locals</a>."I believe that Mr Gates' holdings across much of our nation is a significant portion that the committee should not ignore," Johnson wrote in the letter to Scott."The committee should be interested in Mr Gates' ownership and plans for his acreage, as he has been a leading voice in the push for 'synthetic meat'," Johnson wrote. "In 2021, Mr Gates was quoted to say 'all rich countries should move to 100 percent synthetic beef' to combat climate change."Johnson <a href="https://twitter.com/RepDustyJohnson/status/1549905545280327682?s=20&amp;t=yc3NPFd9zT4zzWiu87kCrw">tweeted</a> he was "curious" about Gates' plans for his farmland since the billionaire said in the past that people in countries such as America shouldn't eat red meat."How are his land purchases related to those aspirations?" Johnson tweeted.Representatives for Gates did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Gates' recent $13.5 million purchase of the farmland in North Dakota was <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-north-dakota-farmland-purchase-derailed-depression-law-2022-7">cleared by the state's attorney-general</a> who said it complied with an archaic Depression-era law, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/north-dakota-agriculture-bill-gates-climate-and-environment-d20ba0537ef787e78a0e20cff3b0ded8">The Associated Press</a> reported.

Republican lawmaker demands Bill Gates testifies before agriculture committee over his farmland purchases

<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/innovation-leaders"></a><div type="image" title="Robin Saluoks is co-founder and acting CIO of the climate technology company eAgronom." height="3574" width="4765" msid="93060919" hostid="261" sizebytes="1044870"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Robin Saluoks is cofounder and CEO of eAgronom, a climate technology company based in Estonia that helps farmers break into sustainable production.</li><li>In a recent interview with Insider, Saluoks gave us a bird's eye view of his company's journey and his approach to driving innovation. </li></ul>Robin Saluoks is cofounder and CEO of climate technology company eAgronom, which helps farmers build more sustainable businesses using AI and other innovative technologies. The company has more than 1,500 agribusiness customers managing 1m+ hectares of land across Europe. In a recent interview with Insider, Saluoks gave us a bird's eye view of his company's journey and his approach to driving innovation for local farmers:<h3>What is the biggest business challenge you're facing at the moment, and how are you tackling it?</h3>One of the biggest business challenges we face is finding ways to better connect stakeholders working on genuine climate targets with partners who work on projects that sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. More specifically, we are working with farmers who want to bring sustainable changes to their farms but struggle to do so in a way that makes sense for them in the short term and profitably.<h3>How does tech help you drive innovation?</h3>We are developing tools to calculate emissions on farms and verify if the data is correct to produce <keyword id="14530199" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="carbon-credits" source="Orion">carbon credits</keyword> aligned with guidelines. Our core technology revolves around data collecting and data verifying tooling for land use management, which is easy for farmers to plug in and perform their own data analysis for measuring, reporting, and verification (MRV). We also integrate machine learning and satellite monitoring into our platform to make data more robust.<h3> What are your current growth plans?</h3>Earlier this year, we raised a Series A round of funding to help us optimize the farmer onboarding process, set up new global dealerships, and launch the eAgronom Carbon Program. We have also launched a program to finance high-quality carbon sequestration projects by pre-purchasing the credits, so that farmers and landowners no longer need to wait for five years or more to receive the funds and can get started on future-proofing their farms today.<h3>Who do you partner with internally and externally to drive business and tech decisions?</h3>As a climate tech working in farm management, we have always believed that it should be farmers first. As we scale and partner with other business stakeholders, we continue to work hand-in-hand with farmers to understand their needs and deliver practical solutions. Dealing with solutions for the climate, we also work with scientists from different universities and data experts to avoid greenwashing and strengthen genuine climate commitments. We are engaging with highly-credible external auditors to verify the Carbon Removal Units (CRUs), as well as organizations that set carbon accounting standards.<h3>How excited are you about the technology of the future and what it means for your business and your sector?</h3>As an optimist, I see enormous growth opportunities ahead in the agritech and climate tech sectors. Brilliant solutions are being developed across the industry — from carbon sequestration and storage to green energy solutions — and not just on the technology side. We are also seeing a major integration of agroecological knowledge in the industry. For me, this is an excellent sign that more people from different backgrounds are collaborating to produce solutions ready to be used in the market.

Cofounder and CEO of climate technology company eAgronom uses 'farmers first' mindset to drive innovation and lower barriers to sustainable agriculture

A Japanese <keyword id="41531" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="space" source="Orion">space</keyword> start-up has achieved a major breakthrough by testing a prototype <keyword id="9428" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="rocket" source="Orion">rocket</keyword> engine, powered entirely by fuel derived from <keyword id="603261" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cow-dung" source="Orion">cow dung</keyword>. This experiment, conducted in the rural town of Taiki, involved a 10-second blast of a blue-and-orange flame. The "<keyword id="4238241" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="biomethane" source="Orion">biomethane</keyword>" used in the test was produced from cow manure collected from local dairy farms, highlighting the potential benefits for both space travel and agriculture. <keyword id="6667916" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="interstellar-technologies" source="Orion">Interstellar Technologies</keyword>, in collaboration with Air Water, developed this environmentally friendly and cost-effective fuel. CEO Takahiro Inagawa stressed its local production, cost efficiency, and high performance. The initiative involved partnering with farmers to process manure into biogas, with Air Water converting it into <keyword id="1008910" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rocket-fuel" source="Orion">rocket fuel</keyword>. Eiji Mizushita, a participating farmer with 900 cows, utilised an automated system to convert manure into biogas, fertiliser, and bedding materials. While biogas sales generated minimal income for Mizushita, he found the project rewarding, underscoring the importance of proper manure disposal and advocating for government and societal support in renewable energy production. This innovative approach not only contributes to space exploration but also addresses the environmental impact of agriculture, responsible for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions according to Greenpeace. Despite setbacks in <keyword id="6355311" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="japan" source="Orion">Japan</keyword>'s "<keyword id="18531580" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="moon-sniper" source="Orion">Moon Sniper</keyword>" mission, the successful test of the cow-dung-powered rocket engine presents a promising development for the country's space program and a potential solution to the global energy crisis.

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