Abstract

The case ‘Will CropIn’s Data-Driven Technologies Help Feed the Farms of the Future’ is about CropIn Technology Solutions Private Limited (CropIn), a SaaS-based agritech startup headquartered in India that had grown by 325% in the 15-month period from March 2018 to May 2019. The company had helped digitize farmlands in over five million acres globally. The case deals with the growth of CropIn as a startup in 2010 and its milestones over the years from 2010 to 2018. The various challenges CropIn faced are dealt with in the case along with the details of the different products launched by the company. The case next dwells upon the process of digitization of farm data undertaken by CropIn and its benefits for farmers and farm aggregators. The digitized data of the farmlands were stored in the database and were retrieved to provide the farmers with advice on the correct usage of fertilizers and pesticides as well as weather updates that would help them safeguard themselves against the vagaries of nature. With the technological innovation of CropIn benefitting the farmers and farm aggregators, the company spread its wings across the globe, establishing itself in Asia, Latin America, North America, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa. The case ends with the company’s future outlook and its endeavors to ensure sustainability in agriculture and maximize agricultural output.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Analyze the difference between incremental innovation and disruptive innovation.
• Understand the importance of innovation in entrepreneurship.
• Understand the four stage growth model of entrepreneurship.
• Evaluate the relationship between sustainable development and innovation in the farm sector.

Keywords

Agricultural solutions; CropIn; Agritech Platform; Innovation; Entrepreneur; Farmland Digitization; Sustainable Farming; Agribusiness; Geo-Tagging; Farm-to-Fork; Farm Aggregators; Agri-Value Chain; Data Driven Farming; Farmers