India: Startups reaping dividends in urban farms
Companies such as Khetify, Mumbai-based i-Kheti and Bengaluru-based Living Greens, which have sprung up in the past few years, say they are gaining traction. Consumers worried about the quality of food available in the market are gravitating toward growing their own food at home — on balconies, terraces or even up walls.
The urban farming startup ecosystem could be worth $1billion in India in the next two to four years and will become essential due to environmental concerns, said Naren Bakshi, cofounder of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and an angel investor in Living Greens. "Mass migration from the villages to the cities makes the future of urban farming important," he said. "In a few years, India will see progressive state governments ensuring that homeowners use their roofs for either urban farming or generating solar energy."
Read more at The Economic Times (Shashwati Shankar)