Agritech Startup Living Roots Offers Organic Fertilizer Solutions Amidst Global Shortages

N. Raghuraman, Management Guru

When other companies are freezing their budgets and one company starts hiring rapidly, it will naturally catch your attention. That’s why when I heard that Thailand-headquartered agri-tech startup Living Roots, founded by Abhi Agarwal and Avika Narula, was hiring ‘additional people’, I wondered why?

A search out of curiosity revealed companies from around the world that have identified farmers’ problems and are creating solutions. Living Roots is one of them. The company creates organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers using local waste, symbiotic microbes and AI-based data to improve soil health and reduce dependence on conventional chemicals.

The geopolitical tensions that are disrupting the Strait of Hormuz, the lifeline of supply of consumer goods in the world, do not seem to be ending. In such a situation, the problem of fertilizer can last for a long time. If the conflict continues, crops across the world could become weak and groceries expensive. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has warned that an additional 45 million people could face severe food insecurity.

Since farmers plan months, if not years, in advance, many farmers are beginning to estimate their 2027 harvest. At the same time, the World Bank estimates that fertilizer prices may increase by one-third this year. Its purchasing power could reach its worst level since the Russia-Ukraine war that began in 2022. As a result, farmers are under immense pressure.

Especially because a large part of the widely used nitrogen fertilizer urea comes from the Gulf. Agricultural businesses are bearing the brunt of this. Some people are returning to old methods like cow dung manure, while some are using new technologies to reduce dependence on chemicals. These range from inputs made from almond shells to advanced microbial products. California’s ‘Nitricity’, which is doing similar work, is increasing its capacity and its estimated production has been booked till 2028.

Dairy producer ‘Farm Fresh’ in Malaysia feeds cattle waste to worms. In return the worms fertilize the grass, which their cows eat. Although the company used to do this earlier too, this year due to increase in urea prices it became more dependent on it.

The Chief Financial Officer of the company publicly stated that they spread chicken droppings on their land. In fact, poultry manure has become the most sought-after product for farmers looking for ways to increase their crops abroad. Living Roots claims that its product called ‘Photoboost’ can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers by 50% and cost by 20%.

Transporters carrying large quantities of chicken droppings are also earning good money. Then, there’s French startup ‘Tupi Organics’, which collects human urine from schools and turns it into bacterial feed that helps plants grow. This may sound strange to read, but these are the solutions happening in the real world right now.

While the global agricultural community has been searching for viable options to deal with this shortage, there has also been a void in the market. This is an opportunity for educated entrepreneurs preparing to start a business to change the situation in their favor by finding solutions to these problems in farming. But it is not that easy.

Implementing these solutions on a large scale still remains a major challenge, as farmers who have relied on traditional fertilizers for decades are reluctant to trust unknown products. Some biological solutions also suffer from stability problems. For example, microbes are washed away during heavy rains. But this should not reduce efforts to prepare alternatives.

The bottom line is that If you identify the problem months in advance and prepare a solution in time, profits will automatically follow you.

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