The iGrow formula and Mullaitivu’s promise

Agriculture has a long history in Sri Lanka dating back thousands of years. Even today, the industry remains a critical component of the island’s economy and citizens’ well-being. Despite its rich history, agriculture remains ripe for innovation and some ambitious folk look to do just that. Aninilavan Puvanesan’s iGrow Lanka is one such effort. 

The story starts in Mullaitivu, back when Aninilavan decided to settle back in his hometown after the end of the civil war. Following his passion for helping the underserved community Aninilavan joined a number of non-profit and volunteer organizations. Though he came to the realization that despite the assistance from these types of organizations, people from his community, especially those affected by the war, became dependent on these structures. Instead of relying on external parties and even the government’s assistance, he questioned why some of the existing resources such as land can’t be utilized to serve the communities better. The question was a pertinent one given there were many vocal appeals from the war-torn areas over rights to lands, the same appeals that continue to this day.  

For Aninilavan, the obvious choice was to turn to agriculture. He ended up acquiring a 14-acre land in hopes of building a profitable agriculture-based framework for the local community. One important part of the project was to encourage more youth to look towards the agricultural sector. Why? Back when Aninilavan and his team pitched the initial iGrow idea at the HackaDev Innovation Challenge, a part of the process involved conducting research. “Many of the younger generation didn’t seem the least interested in the field and a lot of them actually wanted to move away, despite coming from agriculture-leaning families,” says Aninilavan commenting on the general feedback his team received. 

The Mullaitivu promise

But simply conducting awareness sessions won’t do the job. In order to bring an economic outcome, the process should ideally include accessibility to explore agriculture. For iGrow, one of the answers came in the form of co-farming. According to Aninilavan, it’s like co-working spaces but for farming. The idea is that anyone interested in exploring agriculture but doesn’t have access to land could utilize iGrow’s land in Mullaitivu.

The iGrow team also offers consultancy to those who already own lands but has little expertise in agriculture. “We would typically partner up with them and offer our resources.” In both instances, the team would initially offer a free consultation to the interested party. Then a course of action will be proposed based on recommendations from iGrow’s in-house agriculture experts.

But co-farming is only one part of the formula. An equally ambitious operation is iGrow’s own produce. The startup grows natural crops like peanuts, cowpea, honey, palmyra products, and a few vegetable varieties. While the products haven’t reached mass markets yet, Aninilavan states that the aim is to promote to the local market as much as possible while pushing for exports, particularly to the diaspora community.

Farming with a side of tech

Interestingly, iGrow also relies on technology, specifically via a combination of data collection and artificial intelligence, to optimize existing processes. At the moment it’s specific to managing water irrigation on the farming lands. But Aninilavan’s team hopes to expand the use case to AI-assisted harvesting and drone-enabled capabilities like fertilizing.

Apart from the general process improvements, this type of tech would also allow the farmers to better identify any prevalent issues. It’s a significant efficiency upgrade compared to previous methodologies usually coming down to instinct or educated guesses whenever crop-related problems arise.

Another distinct advantage that comes with employing technology in agriculture is that it encourages more youth to be active members of the industry, says Aninilavan. “There’s an active labor shortage in this field. But the opportunity to integrate technology into a traditional field helps us bring more people in too,” he further mentions.    

Team iGrow and capital needs

Aninilavan notes that iGrow wants to grow its operations in other parts of the island, particularly the eastern province. The 14-acre Mullaitivu land will essentially act as a pilot project that will be replicated in these other plots of land. This means the startup would need to raise more capital. Currently, iGrow has raised about 30% of its USD 15,000 target to carry out its operations and expects to go for another round of funding as the business continues to progress.  

Aninilavan’s team also wants to promote agritourism at iGrow’s 14-acre land. This is where guests would have the opportunity to take part in farming activities, do their own farming, or just engage in their own professional work like you would in a typical coworking space. 

All in all, the iGrow team remains optimistic about the road ahead and the country’s agricultural prospects in general. “We want to show what this field can really do for all of us, and I’m confident of iGrow’s potential.”