Saagu Baagu

The 'Saagu-Baagu' initiative, a groundbreaking collaboration between the Telangana government and the World Economic Forum, marks a pivotal step in transforming Indian agriculture. With a focus on agritech innovation, the project invites proposals from diverse stakeholders, including startups and Farm Producers Organizations, to deploy cutting-edge solutions using technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain. The initiative's farmer-centric approach aims to enhance transparency, increase farmers' income, and promote environmental sustainability. Under the Public Private Cooperation framework, selected Project Implementation Partners will engage pro-bono, ensuring shared access to government resources. With an initial scope covering one lakh farmers across 1,000 villages, 'Saagu-Baagu' sets a precedent for scalable technologies, impacting over 7,000 chilli farmers and serving as a model for global agricultural transformation.

Lead (category)

Private-public partnership

Name of initiative lead (and partners)

Government of Telangana

Categories of Digital initiative deliverables

Specific ICT technology product and/or service delivery

ICT products/solutions and services by category

Digital Agriculture

Non ICT products and services (deliverables)

Business and governance structure

The state Department of Agriculture is leading Saagu Baagu with several partners. The project is supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by igital Green.

DI ICT-deliverables format

Web-based platform

Face to face servicing

Others (WhatsApp-based chatbot)

Primary stakeholders (beneficiaries, actors, enablers)

Farmers

Farm organizations

Startups

Size, scale or scope of primary stakeholders

To reach 100,000 farmers by 2025. Initial focus on chilli value chain to be expanded to other crops

Digital Initiative development Stage

Fully functional. Institutional-governance structure in place

Measurable impacts on primary stakeholders and target beneficiaries

Saagu Baagu has reported significant impacts on farmers chili yields ( up to 21% increase for participating farmers), reduction in pesticide use (up to 9%) and decrease in fertilizer usage (5%) as well as boost to unit prices due to quality enhancements. Some 7000 chili farmers have enrolled in the "Saagu Baagu" project.

Initiative geographic scope (or coverage) (national, regional, sector specific, specific user co-horts etc)

National

Telangana state

On-line resource links (Web-page links, links to videos, links to reports, etc)

Main DI webpage

Other useful link

Link to Digital village

Link to Digital solution