Nibiaa Devices Meets UN Sustainable Development Goals Using DeWi Grant Funded Blockchain Technology.
What if we told you that a business aims to introduce The People’s Network to hundreds of early farming communities? Nibiaa is passionate about tea, a more consumable commodity, although many people think of smart buildings and home IoT applications for this kind of large-scale implementation.
The potential is clear in Nibiaa’s native India, where there are just over 1,500 substantial tea estates with an average size of 740 acres each. In North East India, there are also 45,000 small tea growers who own an average of 25 acres of land. For these modest farms, a full deployment would require about 295 Helium-compatible sensors spread across 740 acres, or about 10 sensors for every 25 acres.
Mathematicians will quickly see that this might translate to the addition of almost 13 million more sensors to The People’s Network. And it would only be the beginning since those sensors would only provide coverage for the smallest scale of Indian tea farms.
How did Nibiaa go from just an idea to the ambitious company it is today? Much like Helium started with a single Hotspot, Nibiaa’s origin story began with a simple conversation. Professor N. Irabanta Singh, an agricultural researcher for over 40 years, and his son, Aeroshil, who has a background in technology, sat down one day to discuss how agriculture and technology might be combined to help local farmers in India.
Having authored numerous case studies, Singh knew firsthand that farmers rarely read or implemented the findings from his research and others’. This insight led Singh and Aeroshil to create Nibiaa for the purpose of equipping farmers with new agricultural technology for an increase in overall revenue. With close ties to the land, the two also vowed to only produce solutions that are sustainable and environmentally friendly. The two founders were later joined by Sushil Laishram and Dinesh Gurupur, and Nibiaa was born.
Armed with a DeWi grant and the technical chops to back it up, Nibiaa is improving supply chain traceability and other farming challenges using IoT, blockchain, and AI technology. It is also working to develop a smart model to boost the efficiency and reliability of food supply chains, increasing safety and customer satisfaction across the value chain while meeting many of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Tea drinkers everywhere can rejoice, knowing that their next cup might be a little better for the planet and their own health thanks to Nibiaa and The People’s Network.
But Why Tea?
Singh and Aeroshil hail from the Northeastern region of India, which is currently the second-largest tea producer in the world. With a history dating back 150+ years, the industry is characterized by practices that are sometimes outdated and ineffective.
As farmers in other parts of the world adopt new cultivation and production methods, Indian tea farmers are often left with comparably slower processing and distribution channels — resulting in less business and higher costs. With Nibiaa’s solution to improve process issues using IoT and supply chain traceability on the Helium blockchain, farmers are able to pair their expertise and years of experience with new technologies for a competitive edge.
Using Helium-compatible technology, Nibiaa offers its customers a range of premium benefits:
- Data-driven decision making with an AgriTech solution that empowers managers
- Better supply chain visibility with IoT sensors and blockchain traceability, which translates to premium pricing for the tea manufactured in the region
- Precision solutions software and IoT devices that provide data and recommendations to maximize productivity and output
- Environmental and agricultural data such as irrigation levels, and processes such as plucking, pruning, harvesting, and fertilizer application triggers
- Supply chain transparency and management with an integrated track and trace solution
DeWi Grant Steeps Further Innovation
Nibiaa’s four-in-one sensor node, made possible by a DeWi grant, builds on the benefits above by integrating useful data into one device. Made specifically for agricultural applications, it is currently being prototyped and implemented in one of the leading tea gardens in India.
In the future, Nibiaa hopes to expand its vision of connectivity and technological advancement to other industries, including coffee, rubber, and the entire packaged food industry, which is forecasted to be worth 122 billion dollars in India by 2026.
No matter the industry, Nibiaa strives to increase transparency and hopes to build a smart contract system to monitor, track, record, and process digital and physical resources throughout the supply chain.
It’s no surprise that this aspirational company has already been recognized for its commitment to innovation and technological advancement. Nibiaa has numerous accolades, including being selected as:
- Top 30 Startups selected through NERES 1.0 Competition Organized by IIE
- Top 5 Startups selected for Octane IoT in Agriculture Competition by STPI- Guwahati
- Top 15 startups selected for Land Accelerator Program 2021
- Top 10 Startups Selected for BIRAC BIG 19 Call for innovation in Agriculture and Allied Category with a Grant Amount of 50 lacs( 70K USD)
Originally published here.
Author
Chris Munch is a professional cryptocurrency and blockchain writer with a background in software businesses, and has been involved in marketing within the cryptocurrency space. With a passion for innovation, Chris brings a unique and insightful perspective to the world of crypto and blockchain. Chris has a deep understanding of the economic, psychological, marketing and financial forces that drive the crypto market, and has made a number of accurate calls of major shifts in market trends. He is constantly researching and studying the latest trends and technologies, ensuring that he is always up-to-date on the latest developments in the industry. Chris’ writing is characterized by his ability to explain complex concepts in a clear and concise manner, making it accessible to a wide audience of readers.
