Author: Suchetana Choudhuri
Kishan Kaujalgi and Anouk Bosman discuss scaling offshore kelp farming, driving farmer ROI, and building a resilient, sustainable input ecosystem In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Kishan Kaujalgi, India Lead, and Anouk Bosman, Head of Marketing at Kelp Blue, reveal how the company is pioneering large-scale offshore cultivation of Macrocystis pyrifera to solve one of agriculture’s biggest challenges: consistent, sustainable raw material supply. They highlight how ocean farming mirrors land agriculture in complexity—navigating storms, pests, and yield optimization—while eliminating the need for irrigation and chemical inputs. At the core of their model is a sustainability-first approach, harvesting just 10 per cent…
Today, castor oil is a premium sustainable industrial feedstock for bio-based products Casterra Ag Ltd. , a developer of high-yield castor seed varieties and integrated castor farming solutions, and a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd, today announced successful commercial field trials in Brazil, highlighting castor oil as a compelling candidate for economically viable biofuel production. At present, castor oil is widely recognized as a high-value, sustainable feedstock for bio-based industries (lubricants, surface coatings, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and resins). Casterra’s development efforts aim to reduce the farming cost of castor grains for oil production while maintaining farmer profitability. Success in these efforts will enable competitive castor oil pricing across…
FAO Chief Economist Máximo Torero warns of cascading impacts on energy, fertilizer supply, and global food systems as tanker traffic collapses and shipping risks surge The ongoing disruption to the Strait of Hormuz has emerged as a major shock to global commodity flows, with implications for energy, agriculture, and food security. According to Máximo Torero of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, tanker traffic through the corridor has dropped by more than 90 percent within days of the escalation. The strait typically carries around 20 million barrels of oil per day—about 35 percent of global crude flows—along…
Exclusive AgroSpectrum interview with Manisha Majumdar, on why India is reshaping the global sugarcane narrative In an exclusive interview with AgroSpectrum, Manisha Majumdar, Head APAC, Bonsucro, explains why India’s scale as the world’s second-largest sugar producer, combined with its rapid shift toward ethanol and bio-based industries, makes this a pivotal moment to spotlight the country globally. She highlights how regions like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka are not only production hubs but also emerging centers of sustainability innovation, supporting millions of smallholder farmers. Manisha emphasizes that India must transition from a volume-driven sugar economy to a climate-resilient, sustainability-led value chain…
Renuka Diwan, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, BioPrime AgriSolutions, says full portfolio approval marks a shift from regulatory clearance to scalable growth and stronger market credibility In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Renuka Diwan, highlights that securing regulatory approval for its entire biostimulant portfolio marks a major strategic milestone for the company. She emphasizes that this achievement validates BioPrime’s strong scientific foundation and positions it ahead in an increasingly regulated and competitive biologicals market. The company differentiates itself through proprietary bioactive compounds and a science-led approach, avoiding commoditization. With approvals in place, BioPrime is now focused on expanding in India while…
In an exclusive interaction with AgroSpectrum, Marcel Verbrugge, Aquaculture engineer, Dahui aquaculture limited outlines how desert aquaculture is emerging as a scalable solution for food security, water efficiency, and climate resilience As climate stress and resource scarcity redefine global food systems, aquaculture is rapidly breaking free from its coastal roots—moving into some of the world’s most extreme environments. Along the edges of the Taklamakan Desert, cutting-edge innovations in water chemistry, microbial engineering, and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are turning inhospitable terrain into high-efficiency seafood production hubs. This shift is gaining momentum in regions like Saudi Arabia, where food security imperatives…
Dr. Kent Nnadozie, Secretary, FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, calls the Svalbard and Arctic World Archive deposits a historic step for food security and international cooperation The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture marked a historic week with new deposits at the Svalbard Global Seed Vault and the Arctic World Archive. For the first time, olive genetic resources were secured in Svalbard, with 5,000 seeds from 59 accessions deposited by the International Olive Council. The nearby Arctic World Archive now houses digital records, legal texts, and knowledge that underpin global…
Dr Ward Anseeuw, Senior Land Tenure Officer, FAO shares insights with AgroSpectrum on land tenure insecurity, inequality in land distribution, and the need for stronger governance reforms. A new global report on land tenure and governance has highlighted slow progress in securing land rights worldwide, revealing that only about 35 percent of the world’s land has formally documented ownership. The findings underscore growing concerns over land tenure insecurity, with nearly 1.1 billion people fearing they could lose their land or housing within the next five years, posing risks to food security, livelihoods, and climate resilience. In this context, AgroSpectrum conducted…
In an exclusive AgroSpectrum interview, Jairo Castano of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations explains how the World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 will modernize agricultural censuses, strengthen data-driven policymaking, and support progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Jairo Castano, Senior Statistician and Leader of the Agricultural Censuses Team at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), discusses the global significance of the newly endorsed World Programme for the Census of Agriculture 2030 (WCA 2030) guidelines. Endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission, the programme establishes a new international statistical…
In an exclusive conversation with AgroSpectrum, Dimitra Founder & CEO Jon Trask explains why tokenized real-world assets, blockchain-backed MRV and carbon markets could reshape global agricultural finance Jon Trask discusses how tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) are transitioning from speculative blockchain experiments into institutional-grade financial infrastructure for agriculture. Drawing from Dimitra’s work across emerging markets and its collaboration with MANTRA, Trask highlights how verified farm data, MRV frameworks, and blockchain technology can convert agricultural production, carbon credits, and supply-chain outputs into investable digital assets. He explains that tokenization can address agriculture’s historic paradox of being asset-rich but liquidity-poor, enabling farmers and…