Social Alpha, the multi-stage venture development platform, has launched ‘Techtonic: Innovations for Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods’, a programme dedicated to empowering rural households.

A media statement said the programme will support up to 10 start-ups and innovators who address critical challenges India’s smallholder farmers face. The initiative will provide innovators with resources to enhance productivity, improve resource management, and expand market access, aiming to create scalable, impact-driven solutions for sustainable food systems.

It said the programme is looking to support innovations across several high-impact areas, including precision farming, soil and water management, farm mechanization, post-harvest management, and animal husbandry.

With over half of India’s workforce engaged in agriculture, but limited by small plot sizes and traditional methods, these focus areas are chosen to address the specific needs of smallholder farmers who operate on fragmented landholdings and often lack access to modern resources.

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‘Techtonic: Innovations for Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods’ will offer the selected start-ups a package of support. This includes access to up to ₹2 crore in non-dilutive funds to help validate, test, pilot or scale up their innovations. It also offers an opportunity to deploy solutions to over 200,000 farmers across multiple regions through partnerships with FPOs. It provides guidance from India’s top agricultural and business experts, along with tailored workshops on business strategy, product market fit, and scalability, the statement said.

Climate change impact

Quoting Manoj Kumar, Founder of Social Alpha, the statement said: “Smallholder farmers are severely impacted by climate change. They frequently face extreme weather events such as floods and droughts, which damage crops and reduce yields. Water scarcity and soil degradation further threaten their productivity.

“Innovation is an indispensable tool in building climate resilience. From developing new technologies and sustainable practices to fostering collaboration and adapting to changing conditions, innovation enables us to confront climate change proactively.

However, for actual adoption, innovations must be affordable, accessible and deployment-ready without compromising user experience. This also requires public policy to align innovators’ incentives with those of farmers and the state.”

The programme welcomes applications from start-ups and innovators at various development stages, including product development, pilot, and deployment-ready phases, it added.

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