India needs to lead agri-tech innovation for Global South

The global food system must be transformed to both mitigate the climate crisis and feed a rapidly growing population. Food insecurity is already a major challenge, with the number of those facing acute hunger has risen for the fifth consecutive year in 2023. By 2050, we need to nourish over 10 billion people while significantly reducing emissions and minimising the use of land and water. This challenge is acute across Africa and Asia, which will face higher population growth and more severe impacts of the climate crisis, including droughts and declining agricultural yields.
In this scenario, India could play a pivotal role in leading a transformation. One major obstacle these countries face is gaining access to advanced technologies that can revolutionise their food systems. Over the last two decades, innovations such as gene-edited seeds, enhancements to the soil microbiome, and fermented proteins have emerged. These technologies have the potential to improve yields, enhance climate resilience, and bolster food security at scale.
However, these innovations are predominantly developed within Western ecosystems and reflect a disparity in innovation that continues to persist. Private investment in agricultural technology (agri-tech) primarily flows into North America and Europe. Consequently, there is a wealth of innovation in climate-resilient corn and soy, for example, but far less in crops like millet or rice, which are crucial for many Global South countries.
Innovation ecosystems in the Global South are generally less developed, with limited access to the funding and industry connections needed to bring new technologies to the market. They also face fragmented markets that are less familiar to startups and lack the supportive mechanisms that could attract these companies.
The international community has recognised these challenges, yet national commitments and global funding mechanisms for transforming food systems and facilitating technology transfer remain limited. This situation likely means that countries will continuously be in catch-up mode; their own emerging ecosystems may take decades to develop comparable deep scientific capabilities.
Nonetheless, there is a proactive approach that the Global South can adopt, with India at the forefront. This involves pooling capital to create a multi-stage fund aimed at steering innovation addressing Global South-specific problems. For example, grants at the university level for cutting-edge research (akin to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency grants in the US) could guide advanced labs towards developing biotechnological solutions appropriate for these countries. As these innovations progress from labs to start-ups, additional grants could help refine these solutions. Drawing from models like the Gates Foundation’s Global Access, intellectual property (IP) provisions in these grants could ensure that the IP developed is accessible to the Global South. As companies mature, targeted early- and mid-stage equity investments — similar to those made by Singapore’s EDBI or Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala — could attract them to these regions.
Further, enhancing the attractiveness of the Global South to innovative companies is essential. One effective strategy is through demand aggregation, particularly for seeds, fertilisers, and other inputs, which could enhance these countries’ bargaining power and reduce the overhead for companies seeking market entry. Here, India could leverage its scale and infrastructure to develop a marketplace that other countries can participate in.
As breakthrough innovations reshape or create new industries, regulatory frameworks often struggle to adapt. Countries like Singapore created new regulatory frameworks to support emerging industries. Yet, navigating multiple regulatory systems can be costly and time-consuming for companies expanding internationally. India could advocate for greater regulatory coordination and common standards, leveraging its regulatory expertise and deep understanding of developing country contexts. This could mean that regulatory approval in India could potentially open doors to several countries simultaneously.
These approaches require collaboration and longer timelines for some. However, in the backdrop of global climate negotiations, the reshaping of multilateral financial institutions, and the flux in global climate finance, there is a valuable opportunity for India to cement its position as a leader of the Global South by helping it take more proactive action towards transforming its food system, both through diplomatic channels as well as by facilitating dialogue through its business and investment communities.
Kabir Nanda has worked in multiple roles scaling innovative climate-friendly technologies globally and currently works at the intersection of food and biotechnology. The views expressed are personal