Soil – The Unsung Hero

"Wishing you all a healthy and prosperous New Year! As we step into 2024, I would like to take this opportunity to talk about a matter of utmost significance. I strongly believe that the foundation for a thriving planet and people’s wellbeing lies in healthy soil.

Recently, I came across a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report. It states that 224 million Indians suffer from undernourishment. It’s no secret that low-nutrient crops affect our nutrient intake. Unsustainable farming methods lead to soil erosion, excessive chemical usage, soil acidification, degrading soil fertility, and hence, low-nutrient crops.

So, we’re determined to join forces with key stakeholders to shift the narrative from curing nutritional deficiency to ensuring nutrition sufficiency in Indian soils. This requires raising farmer awareness about sustainable practices like crop rotation, organic farming, reduced tillage, and using cover crops. Nourishing India’s soil is therefore tantamount to nourishing the nation’s people."

Success Stories

Protecting Nature and the Nurturers

Every paddy farmer in Punjab uses zinc as an essential source of nutrition for their crops. Our team in Ludhiana noticed that the traditional grade of zinc was not of top quality, and the drifting of zinc dust during broadcasting could potentially harm the environment.

During the Kharif season of ’23, we covered 90,000+ acres of paddy fields with Yara’s Procote zinc — a unique micronutrient coating product. The results of using Procote zinc versus traditional zinc were significant. Procote zinc eliminated several human and environmental hazards, as it is made up of high-quality pharmaceutical-grade zinc, free from heavy metals like lead and arsenic. The use of Procote proved to be safer for the applicants, as it sticks to urea granules, whereas other grades, being in dust formulation, fail to evenly bind with urea granules.

In the upcoming years, it is our endeavour to offer innovative coating products to farmers in India and continue our journey towards a nature-positive future for food production.

YLA’s Midas Touch

Satpal Singh, a successful businessman in the agriculture industry, had a great reputation among farmers. When he heard about the YLA Social Impact programme, he seized the opportunity. He brought his 14-year-old daughter along so that she could learn a few things too. However, she did more than just absorb; she helped him understand the concept of digital marketing.

The father-daughter duo learned the importance of building a stronger MSME network, sharing new knowledge with farmers, and utilising market insights. Satpal swiftly implemented these learnings, elevating his farmer base to 600+ and witnessing a 15% jump in revenue.

A Fruitful Intervention

A pomegranate farmer in Maharashtra was disheartened by the low yield and the price he received for his produce. During one of the farmer meetings, he discovered our products and met with our Agronomy team. The team analysed and advised him to use YaraVita Bud Builder.

Consequently, the yield per plant surged from 7–8 kg to an impressive 15–16 kg, boosting his revenue to Rs. 6,82,500 from 350 plants. The improved quality of his fruit garnered him a higher market value of Rs. 130/kg. The cherry on top was that his orchard experienced a reduced incidence of bacterial blight. He wholeheartedly recommends other farmers to opt for similar quality, high-nutrient fertilisers.

What’s New

Rooted in Innovation

On World Soil Day, millions of FarmCare app users received a groundbreaking update introducing various beneficial additions. These include a map-my-farm, real-time weather updates, a fertiliser calculator, and a digital leaf colour chart for accurate nitrogen assessment. Additionally, we integrated a marketplace offering Yara product details, store locations, personalised crop insights, and knowledge advisories.

Cultivating a Better Tomorrow, Together

We have partnered with HarvestPlus Solutions to revolutionise food systems by enhancing crop nutrition. Together, we have launched a pilot programme to integrate 500 farmers from Uttar Pradesh into the Zinc Wheat value chain. We aim to improve farm productivity and farmers’ connectivity to markets. This will inevitably improve food quality and the livelihoods of farmers.

Yara India on the Air

In our efforts to spread agricultural awareness far and wide, we have collaborated with Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar University's community radio. We have designated their radio station, 90.4 Agra ki Awaaz, as the official voice of farmers. Launched in December 2023, the series is scheduled to run for a year.