Adaptive symbiotic technologies (AST) performance evaluation : BioEnsure? fungal seed and plant treatment in India

Abstract

The Indian state of Rajasthan is the most severely drought-affected state in the country with the highest

probability of rainfall deficiency and drought occurrence. In the Rajasthan district of Nagaur, farmers

mostly rely on rainfall for their crops (used for over 70 percent of net sown area). With a predicted

acceleration in drought occurrence in the district, the ability of farmers to adapt to low water supplies

is put to a test. The seed treatment innovation BioEnsure ? developed by agro-tech company Adaptive

Symbiotic Technologies (AST) ? may be able to aid Nagaur farmers with this challenge by increasing lessthan-

normal rainfall crop yields and crop resilience to droughts and heatwaves.

Since 2015, AST has conducted a seed treatment project in a handful of villages in Nagaur, in partnership

with the Securing Water for Food Grand Challenge (SWFF). This report is an inquiry into the benefits

farmers in these villages have received from the AST project in terms of crop yields, crop survival rates,

and family income. Interviews with 50 innovation users and field observations were conducted in July and

August 2019.

Findings show a majority of innovation users experienced an increase in crop yields, crop survival rates,

and water efficiency. Although increases in crop yields and crop survival rates can have many causes,

such as seasonal variations in rainfall, temperature, and wind, comparisons of pre- and post-treatment

harvests under similar conditions implies that experienced benefits primarily can be ascribed to the

BioEnsure innovation.