Want to know where to grow a crop? This Noida agritech startup tells you

This AI platform can analyse climate, soil, and crop data to predict what grows best where-boosting yields and cutting carbon risks

Want to know which crop suits a particular geography or whether the avocado you have been eating is being grown in the most appropriate region?

 

A new tech platform could perhaps provide some answers.

 

Developed by Dr Shravani Basu and her husband Dr Sébastien Foucaud, Delhi-NCR-based start-up SBSF Agritech has developed three Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms designed to unify land-use intelligence, carbon quantification, and real-time monitoring for nature-based climate solutions.

Three platforms, one ecosystem

Named ‘CropLocator’, ‘SinkEvaluator’ and ‘SinkMonitor’, the three proprietary platforms claim to address the gaps in agriculture, climate adaptation, and voluntary carbon markets by integrating modules.

   

CropLocator has reached pilot-ready status, while SinkEvaluator and SinkMonitor are in advanced development and prototyping stages, respectively.

CropLocator analyses 2,000 zones and 300,000 plant species

CropLocator has analysed over 100 environmental parameters across 2,000 agro-ecological zones and 300,000 plant species to provide actionable land-use insights for institutional stakeholders, including seed companies, commodity firms, agribusinesses, research institutions, and government agencies.

SinkEvaluator and SinkMonitor support carbon credit markets

While ‘SinkEvaluator’ enables rigorous, species- and location-specific modelling of CO₂ sequestration, covering 180 tree species at launch and scaling to over 500, supporting credible issuance of carbon credits.

 

The third platform, ‘SinkMonitor’, will deliver satellite, drone, and IoT-based monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) to ensure transparency and reliability of carbon assets, enabling participation from insurers, banks, and carbon registries.

Target users: Institutions, not individuals

The platforms are targeted primarily at institutional users rather than individual farmers, serving stakeholders across agriculture, carbon project development, research, and finance.

Zoom in anywhere with high-resolution crop prediction

Basu claims the precision of CropLocator allows users to zoom in anywhere on Earth with a spatial resolution of 9 × 9 kilometres (each grid cell covering ~81 sq kms) and analyse over 2,000 agro-ecological zones identified by SBSF’s segmentation algorithms.

 

Drawing from a database of more than 300,000 plant species and over a hundred different environmental parameters, it can extract insights on varieties and agronomic practices across comparable zones worldwide.

Founders bring agriculture and data science expertise

“For organisations shaping agricultural supply chains or planning rural development, this creates a level of clarity that has never been possible before,” Basu claimed.

 

While Basu is a PhD in plant molecular genetics and biotechnology from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom and an MBA from the same university, her husband Sébastien brings over 20 years of experience in data management, statistical modelling, and product development.

 

With a background as an astrophysics professor and data scientist, Sébastien has held executive roles in data across global industries for the past decade.

The question that launched the platforms

Both the husband-wife duo started on the journey to build the three platforms with a simple question in mind: how can we tell the world and the people who need it which is the best place to grow a crop — or, in other words, which part of the world is best suited to grow a particular crop?

“For decades, that question has been answered with a mix of tradition, intuition, and fragmented studies. But agriculture today is no longer operating in a predictable environment. Climate change is altering rainfall and temperature patterns. Soils are under stress. And supply chains are increasingly vulnerable, disrupted not only by biotic and abiotic stresses, but also by geopolitical instability and shifting global trade. In such a world, relying on outdated assumptions is too risky,” Basu said, asserting that SBSF Agritech’s CropLocator along with the other two platforms is poised to change that.

Global rollout planned over three years

She said CropLocator will launch for multiple geographies including India, Southeast Asia, the EU, and the US, with expansion to East Africa and Latin America by the end of year three, while engagement models and end users will vary by region to reflect local needs and priorities.

 

The underlying technology combines machine learning (ML) for agro-ecological zoning, physiological growth and carbon modelling, and cloud-native MRV infrastructure.

Experts cautious until commercial rollout

“On paper this concept looks promising but I won’t be able to comment on the efficacy until and unless it is commercialised and put into practical usage,” a senior agriculture expert who didn’t wish to be named said.

Self-funded and now looking to raise $8 million

All components of the platforms have been internally developed and self-funded since 2021, forming proprietary intellectual property.

 

Basu said that SBSF Agritech estimates a $1.4 billion-plus market opportunity for SaaS and API-based access to its platform.

 

The company is raising $8 million over three years and plans to scale up the funding to execute its plans.

Supporting climate adaptation through data-driven platforms

“By the third year, the platform aims to support 50-plus carbon projects, on-board over 100 institutional users, and generate US$4 million in annual SaaS or API revenue,” she added.

 

She said that the platforms seek land-use efficiency, reduce scope one and three emissions, enhance climate adaptation, and enable high-integrity nature-based carbon credit markets.

 

By integrating land-use intelligence, carbon modelling, and MRV (measurement, reporting and verification), SBSF Agritech offers a globally scalable solution for governments, financial institutions, project developers, research institutions, and commercial agribusinesses seeking credible climate action and sustainable land management.