Cisco: Investing in AI & Digital Innovation for India’s Farming Future

India’s agriculture is at a turning point, with nearly 42% of its workforce reliant on small farms (IFAD). The sector faces mounting pressure: water scarcity, rising debt, and up to 15% post-harvest losses (NABARD study). In the last three years, 70% of smallholders have lost half or more of a crop, with 71% reporting severe climate impacts and incomes down 15.7% since 2022 (2024 Farmer Voice survey). Ultimately, by 2030, India is projected to see a substantial 5.8% decline in working hours – equivalent to 34 million full-time jobs – due to heat stress (WEF).

Yet, the promise of AI-driven innovation is real: investing in 15 foundational agricultural datasets could unlock $65 billion in value for Indian farmers (WEF), making food systems more resilient and profitable. According to the India Digital Agriculture Council, only 30% of Indian farmers were using digital tools—representing a vast, untapped opportunity for climate-smart transformation.

The Cisco Foundation’s Regenerative Future Fund and Climate Grants Portfolio support tech ventures and nonprofits that combine technology and farmers’ engagement for a more regenerative future. This means scaling reforestation, soil health, carbon markets, and nature-based solutions across India. Here are a few examples.

Mitti Labs: Transforming Rice for Climate and Livelihoods

Rice farming consumes 30% of the world’s freshwater (WFP) and produces 12% of global methane emissions (WWF)—making it central to India’s food and climate goals. Mitti Labs is pioneering a tech-driven approach to decarbonize rice production and reward regenerative practices.

Supported by the Regenerative Future Fund, an impact-first venture fund, Mitti Labs’ AI-powered digital Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV) platform combines satellite and sensor data with field support to help farmers adopt Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD). AWD reduces methane and water use by up to 40% while maintaining or increasing yields. According to Mitti Labs, here are a few ways they are gaining traction:

• Field results are compelling: In Telangana’s Warangal, AWD cut water use by 37% while maintaining yields. In Haryana’s Safidon, AWD reduced water by 19% with no yield loss. These results mean lower methane emissions, improved water conservation, and new income streams for thousands of climate-vulnerable farmers.
• Marketplace leadership: Partnering with Carbon Place, Good Carbon, Ceezer, and Cloverly, Mitti Labs enables secure purchases of methane-based carbon credits for buyers globally that would like to support avoidance efforts. Its entire 2025 offset supply is fully allocated, with more set for 2026 and 2027.
• Global recognition: Sylvera, a carbon ratings agency, called Mitti Labs a “key enabler” of methane reduction in rice (Sylvera, 2024).

As Madhuri, a Mitti Labs Field Manager in Warangal, shares, “It is encouraging to see more and more farmers understanding our AWD programs and coming forward to join our movement.” Community leaders echo the impact: “One in every four farmers in Warangal is now participating.”

Since 2023, Mitti Labs has onboarded 30,000 farmers, expanded digital Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (dMRV) capabilities to 10 million hectares, and launched projects with partners like Syngenta Foundation and The Nature Conservancy. Their pipeline spans India and Southeast Asia, targeting 200,000+ farmers and over one million carbon avoidance credits per year. With tech and new markets, Mitti Labs is shaping the future of rice decarbonization.

Digital Green: AI for Climate-Resilient, Regenerative Farming

Digital Green is transforming agricultural advisory services for smallholder farmers through its AI-powered assistant, Farmer.Chat. This innovative platform addresses the need for timely, localized, and actionable farm and market recommendations — especially for resource-poor, low-literacy, and low-connectivity populations. Farmers and extension workers can resolve queries using voice, text, images, or video in regional languages. The platform provides crucial information such as weather forecasts, crop and pest disease warnings, and reminders for regenerative practices.

Supported by the Cisco Foundation’s Climate Grant Portfolio in 2024, Farmer.Chat has reached over 460,000 smallholder farmers since its launch in 2022. Evidence shows it drives behavior changes, particularly in adopting regenerative practices like improved crop nutrition, disease management, soil health, and organic fertilization.

With women making up over 42% of India’s agricultural labor force — and facing barriers like lower mobile phone ownership — Digital Green’s design enables climate-smart advice to reach those who need it.

As CEO Rikin Gandhi shares, “Thanks to partners like Cisco Foundation, we’re helping build a more resilient, equitable food system—one voice, one decision, one farmer at a time.”

Farmers for Forests: AI-Powered Monitoring for Reforestation

Farmers for Forests (F4F) is using AI to revolutionize monitoring in agroforestry practices, particularly in regions facing significant tree cover and biodiversity loss — India alone has lost 5 million trees in two decades. With support from the Cisco Foundation’s Climate Grants Portfolio, F4F is developing an open-source AI platform using drone and satellite data for scalable, accurate monitoring.

The platform detects even small trees under four feet — often missed by traditional satellite models — and monitors carbon sequestration and irrigation infrastructure. It integrates computer vision models like Meta’s Detectron-2 and DeepForest, plus AI trained on tree datasets for species classification and biomass estimation. These tools enable carbon estimation and biodiversity mapping, supporting holistic ecological restoration.

F4F’s vision is to enable high-integrity, data-backed reforestation and agroforestry across one million hectares by 2030. Their technology empowers grassroots implementers—especially smallholder and tribal communities—with transparent, cost-effective, and scalable monitoring, fostering improved tree survival, enhanced biodiversity, and the creation of jobs. The platform’s focus on vulnerable farmers enables AI-driven insights to translate into tangible benefits like increased water security, improved soil health, and greater resilience through efficient resource management and carbon sequestration.

Harnessing AI for Agriculture in India

In addition to the Regenerative Future Fund and the Climate Grant Portfolio, Cisco’s India CSR program is also working to support the agritech startup ecosystem in India through Krishi Mangal (with Social Alpha), supporting startups like TraceX (advanced AI-ML supply chain compliance and deforestation monitoring), Satyukt Analytics (satellite and AI-powered insights for agriculture) and Jaljeevika (AI-driven chatbots for aquaculture, boosting productivity and traceability).

Cisco and the Cisco Foundation’s holistic investment strategy aligns with global recommendations: build digital infrastructure, data ecosystems, and scalable AI applications for India’s 150 million smallholders, building on AI’s 40% growth rate in the last five years (WEF). This platform approach isn’t just about tech — it’s about transforming yields, transparency, and resilience at scale.

This blog was written with assistance from Stasi Baranoff, Cisco’s Climate Grant Portfolio, TekSystems at Cisco.

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