Land Accelerator South Asia 2021 Business Leaders Restoring Farms and Forests

This case study document describes the Land Accelerator South Asia program, a World Resources Institute (WRI) initiative launched in 2020 to support entrepreneurs developing sustainable business models for restoring degraded forests and farmlands. The document details the program's growth from a 2020 cohort of 15 businesses to a 2021 cohort of 58, and provides detailed profiles of 11 specific restoration startups operating across India and Sri Lanka.

• The Land Accelerator South Asia program, launched in 2020, provides a six-month acceleration curriculum, mentorship, and fundraising opportunities to help restoration entrepreneurs scale sustainable business models. The program's 2021 cohort grew to 58 entrepreneurs, representing 20 Indian states and Sri Lanka, with women's participation increasing from approximately 13 percent in 2020 to 31 percent in 2021.
• The program targets the restoration of over 100 million hectares of land in India, which has the potential to sequester between 3 and 4.3 gigatons of above-ground carbon by 2040.
• Several featured startups utilize biotechnology and precision agriculture to reduce chemical use. GR Agritek Labs uses intelligent drones and smart pest traps to reduce chemical pesticide use by 25 percent and increase yields by up to 30 percent. St. Jude Herbals provides organic fungicide substitutes that reduce crop protection costs by an average of 50 percent and increase yields by up to 30 percent.
• Startups are implementing circular bio-economy and waste-to-value models. Fermentech Labs transforms pine needles and the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus into enzymes, while Rayush Natural Fibers creates insect-repellent curtains from aromatic crop waste. Brook N Bees has reduced farmers' input costs by 70 percent by using crop and animal waste in farming practices.
• The program supports businesses that enhance livelihoods for marginalized groups. SP Foods has increased the incomes of at least 100 forest dwellers by 50 percent through a value chain for fermented bamboo shoots (soibum), with a workforce that is 80 percent women. InDev Solutions estimates that its bamboo cultivation services can increase smallholder farmer income by an average of INR 40,000 per year immediately, potentially reaching INR 80,000 per year within five years.
• Technological innovations in mechanization are reducing labor drudgery and costs. Soilhackers Robotics provides autonomous electric weeding services that reduce weeding costs by at least half. Suryanirbhar Agritech produces multi-purpose electric agri-implements that reduce operational costs by 10 times, saving farmers INR 30,000 per year.
• Large-scale land restoration and carbon sequestration are being pursued through agroforestry and specific plant species. Urvara Krsi has distributed and planted approximately 11 million saplings across 4,000 hectares. Suraitech Innovations utilizes Euphorbia royleana plants, which could sequester 590 million tons of CO2 if deployed on 2.2 million hectares.

APA

World Resources Institute (2021). Land Accelerator South Asia 2021 Business Leaders Restoring Farms and Forests. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-10/land-accelerator-business-leaders-restoration-booklet-2022.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Land Accelerator South Asia 2021 Business Leaders Restoring Farms and Forests. 2021. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-10/land-accelerator-business-leaders-restoration-booklet-2022.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Land Accelerator South Asia 2021 Business Leaders Restoring Farms and Forests |date=2021 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-10/land-accelerator-business-leaders-restoration-booklet-2022.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2021land, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Land Accelerator South Asia 2021 Business Leaders Restoring Farms and Forests}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2021}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2022-10/land-accelerator-business-leaders-restoration-booklet-2022.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }