Opportunities for promoting energy-smart agri-food value chains in India

Energy plays a vital role in the expansion of agri-food markets and trade by contributing to increased and diversified crop production as well as powering allied sectors across the value chain from land preparation, transportation and processing to consumption of agri-food products. Therefore, decoupling fossil fuel dependence in the agri-food value chain and adoption of cost-effective alternative energy-saving systems that use energy efficiently without compromising on product quality, can have a direct link to achieving several SDGs. Towards this end, this paper is an exploratory study that gauges the extent of energy-efficient interventions in the agrifood value chain. Firstly, at the macro level, elucidating global efforts, such as those studied by FAO and REEEP and emerging technologies that contextually help to highlight and draw parallels to national and state efforts initiatives and Indian agri-tech start-ups.