The best farm nutrition inputs are only as good as how effectively they are utilised.
This is where Zuari FarmHUB’s agronomy services come in. Our expert team
of agronomists help farmers effectively deploy the right combination of inputs to ensure optimal yields.
This knowledge base has been continuously updated and upgraded and has now been developed into a robust
agronomy services architecture, from which a farmer can profit from.
Zuari FarmHUB’s agronomy services focus on Integrated Nutrient Management provisioned through an array of pioneering agri-science based initiatives and capabilities.
Crop Nutrition
Fertilisers and nutrients account for 7 to 8 percent of the cost of cultivation and have a disproportionate impact on yields. This entails deep understanding of the different soil types, the crops that grow best on each soil type and advice on specific nutritional combinations, dosages and frequency of application. FarmHUB has developed and digitalised comprehensive fertigation, drip irrigation and foliar application schedules for almost all crops. This ensures that farmers adhere to a very precise application protocol of nutrition cum irrigation and derive best results.
Crop Care
This entails advisory on crop protection against the diseases and pests. Based on seasons and the particular build-up of diseases or pests in specific locations, we proactively communicate with the farmers through our Hello Jai Kisaan Services, which is operationalised through our labs on precautions and inputs to be deployed so as to minimise or avoid crop damage.
4R ‘Plus’ for the best results
the use of organic and environmentally sustainable crop nutrition.
This framework enhances our ability to recommend high precision integrated nutrition solutions.
Focus on in-field and edge-of-field agronomic and conservation practices increase resilience, maintain health of soil, retain nutrients and moisture for the crop, reduces soil erosion, runoff losses and improve water quality. This also guides new Product Development protocols.
Integrated farmer services delivery system
As a part of a very robust on-the-ground agronomy service infrastructure, Zuari FarmHUB has
developed the Adventz Advanced Agri Innovation Center (AAIC), a platform for testing
Nutritional and Crop Care technologies and validating them. All new technologies and existing ones which
may not be deployed by farmers either because of a lack of understanding or the perception that they may
be costly or too cumbersome, are validated to help reduce barriers to adoption.
These AICs are linked with our by region specific labs or Agriculture Development Labs
(ADLs) located in Bengaluru, Pune, Tirupati, Bhubaneswar and Hassan.
The ADLs assess the cropping and nutritional requirements of a particular season. After the
assessment is complete the AAICs validate the best set of inputs that may be used. This flows back to
concerned ADLs for onward transmission to the farmer ecosystem, ensuring highly localised advisory
solutions.
The ADLs in turn connect with regional office who pass on such advisory to our team of Junior Agronomists
and Jai Kisaan Salahakars (advisers) who communicate to farmers either through the Dealers/Retailers
network or directly as required.
The AAIC and ADLs are headed and operated by agronomists holding Masters /Ph.D. degrees in key
agri-science specialisations.
Farmer Training Schools
Zuari has been an early pioneer in institutionalising training schools for farmers, the
first of which was set up in Bhubaneswar in PPP mode with the Government of India.
Today our ADLs conduct Training Schools in their respective regions. Groups of farmers are identified
based on their specific requirements and their pain points, who then are brought to a Krishi Vigyan
Kendra or State Agriculture University training facilities for a two-day workshop.
A customised training module is administered through both classroom and practical observations on test
fields.
Multiple batches are conducted each season. Farmers from previous batches are invited to share their
success or failure stories for the benefit of newer ones.
This unique initiative goes a long way in ensuring dissemination of latest knowledge and real-life
cases to enable farmers adopt best practices.
Soil Testing Database
The only service of its kind, Zuari FarmHUB has created and maintained an extensive database of Soil testing samples meticulously geo-referenced with latitude/longitude and field location data. Farmers can reference these conveniently in order to get customised recommendations from our labs as to crops to grow and nutritional requirements based on the 4R framework. This also obviates the need for repeated testing saving time and money for farmers.
Nutrient management through large scale STCR Modelling
In order to provide high precision nutritional inputs our ADLs deploy “Soil Test Crop Response Equations” (STCR) equations that help estimate a particular crops fertiliser and nutritional needs and the application rate in relation to the soil condition as available in our database. This ensures predictability of cropping outcomes and estimation of ROI.
New product development
Existing ADLs are being upgraded to meet the future product development requirements. Equipped with high-end equipment such as ICP-OES /AASPM /soil and product microbial detection facilities, ADLs are adopting the stage gate process and well defined SOPs to screen new products.
Centre of excellence for advances in agriculture
Envisaged at Adventz Agri Innovation Centre, Solapur, this path-breaking project will be evolved as a demonstration and on-farm training platform for latest technologies in agriculture and horticulture.
The Centre will showcase:
- Precision Agriculture
- Showcasing GAPS (Good Agriculture Practices for Sustainability)
- Display of Low Cost Innovative Practices
- Application Advances in farm mechanization/automation/GPS-GIS
- Crop Cafeteria/Nutrition Garden – Crops/unique varieties
- Demonstrations on Farming system approach