Materra Gujarat Pilot Farm

A controlled cotton growing environment / Source: Materra

AsiaCottonEuropeTextiles

4 MINUTE READ

Ian Crawley

WHAT WE SAY:

Moving from Essex to Gujarat is hardly the conventional cotton grower’s journey. But that is the path trodden by Materra, an ag-tech startup with a vision to reimagine how cotton is grown – empowering farmers to grow higher-quality fibres, with less pesticides and water.

It is a huge challenge and its Gujarat pilot is just the first tiny step. However, the demand is certainly there and we would love to see more big fashion brands support its progress.

KEY FACTS:

Materra, which develops climate-resilient technology to help make agriculture more sustainable, has unveiled its pilot Cotton farm in Gujarat, India.
The 1.5 hectare farm aims to grow three tons of premium extra-long staple cotton fibre over the two-year pilot.
At Materra’s UK test site, its trials produced cotton yields four times higher than average, along with 80% water use reduction and a 30% drop in CO2, all without pesticides.
The pilot is being supported by Fashion For Good’s accelerator programme, with the fibres being used by its corporate partners – fashion brands Kering and PVH, and textile manufacturer Arvind.
The first retail collections featuring Materra’s cotton are expected in 2023.

Farm manager at Materra’s Gujarat pilot / Source: Materra

A handful of Materra cotton seeds ready to be planted / Source: Materra

DIVE DEEPER:

Despite being the largest global grower of cotton, Indian farmers struggle to grow high value extra-long staple cotton fibre due to the harsh climate. On top of this, cotton farmers in India use high volumes of pesticides, including Monocrotophos, which is banned in the US and EU.
Materra’s approach is to install greenhouse systems, which are then combined with precision agriculture and AI-based diagnostics tools, in order to enable farmers to produce maximum yields, with minimal resources.
The company believes that despite the challenges around financing and installation, farmers will benefit from a more hardware intensive approach, where controlled environments can protect crops from extreme weather and pests.
Materra’s technology allows farmers to monitor crop conditions in real time, as well as using its AI models to predict future issues related to the environmental conditions, enabling them to respond and adapt.
Furthermore, by controlling the growing environment, the farm (and brand purchasers) can improve its understanding of its exact footprint, helping improve transparency and accountability within the industry.

During the pilot, the company announced it had closed a USD 4.5 million seed round, co-led by the H&M Group and Invest FWD (the venture arm of the Bestseller Group).

"Having these partners on board is an amazing opportunity to really dial in our technology and create the cotton farms of the future, working with all tiers of industry to ensure that all stakeholders take part in the design and farming process."

Edward Brial - Co-Founder and CEO, Materra

Key Design Considerations:

What are the economics of Materra’s cotton?

Typically, it is high value items, such as flowers and soft fruits that are grown in controlled conditions, while cotton has not been valuable enough to support the increased investment required. However, this may well change if the climate crisis reduces global supply.

How will you communicate the backstory to customers?

While Materra’s cotton might be more efficient for the grower and help expand the amount of premium extra-long staple cotton that can be produced, for many customers, cotton remains a commodity. How could you engage end customers and help them understand the benefits of Materra’s cotton?

When might you actually be able to source Materra’s cotton?

The first output from Materra’s Gujarat pilot farm is already set to be divided between the Fashion for Good consortium partners, Kering, PVH and Arvind Limited. This points to a wider truth in the industry – to secure the most interesting and novel fabrics, you may need to consider alternative routes, such as investment, incubation and partnerships.

What other, bigger systems changes are required?

While it is still early in Materra’s journey, the obstacles it faces are significant – how will smallholder farmers finance the construction of the greenhouses that are central to increased yields and efficiency? What happens if they are damaged by extreme weather events, such as flooding or wildfires? These questions will have to be resolved before Materra can scale meaningfully.

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Materra Gujarat Pilot Farm

WHAT WE SAY:

Moving from Essex to Gujarat is hardly the conventional cotton grower’s journey. But that is the path trodden by Materra, an ag-tech startup with a vision to reimagine how cotton is grown – empowering farmers to grow higher-quality fibres, with less pesticides and water.

KEY FACTS:

DIVE DEEPER:

Despite being the largest global grower of cotton, Indian farmers struggle to grow high value extra-long staple cotton fibre due to the harsh climate. On top of this, cotton farmers in India use high volumes of pesticides, including Monocrotophos, which is banned in the US and EU.

Materra’s approach is to install greenhouse systems, which are then combined with precision agriculture and AI-based diagnostics tools, in order to enable farmers to produce maximum yields, with minimal resources.

The company believes that despite the challenges around financing and installation, farmers will benefit from a more hardware intensive approach, where controlled environments can protect crops from extreme weather and pests.

Materra’s technology allows farmers to monitor crop conditions in real time, as well as using its AI models to predict future issues related to the environmental conditions, enabling them to respond and adapt.

Furthermore, by controlling the growing environment, the farm (and brand purchasers) can improve its understanding of its exact footprint, helping improve transparency and accountability within the industry.

During the pilot, the company announced it had closed a USD 4.5 million seed round, co-led by the H&M Group and Invest FWD (the venture arm of the Bestseller Group).

Edward Brial - Co-Founder and CEO, Materra

Key Design Considerations:

What are the economics of Materra’s cotton?

How will you communicate the backstory to customers?

When might you actually be able to source Materra’s cotton?

What other, bigger systems changes are required?

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