Year partnered with Savant: 2019
Sector: Agriculture
Application: Biofertiliser
Product: Multi-faceted adjustable, precision soil deep working apparatus
Market Size: (Local) ZAR 413 million (Global) USD 2.3 billion
Differentiation: Product Development
Investment Stage: Pre-Seed
Stage: Incubation
Founding Team: Nkululeko Ngqinambi
Smartroots
SmartRoots addresses the critical need for affordable, effective, and environmentally sustainable biofertilizers for smallholder and subsistence farmers in developing countries. In the face of global food production challenges and the depletion of traditional phosphate-based fertilizers, SmartRoots focuses on innovative solutions to enhance the efficiency of smallholder farming, particularly in Africa and South Africa.
SmartRoots’ commitment to sustainability is evident in its carbon-rich bioorganic solution, which includes stable carbon and four carefully selected mycorrhizal fungi species. By utilizing biological processes, SmartRoots ensures that up to 90% of applied fertilizers are utilized by plants, resulting in increased yields, lower input costs, and a reduction in the environmental impact of fertilization in agricultural production.
Value Proposition
SmartRoots offers a game-changing solution with its SmartRoot™ Enhancer and SmartRoot™ Booster biofertilizer products. Engineered for smallholder and subsistence farmers, these organic formulations contain four mycorrhizal species effective with 85% of land plants. SmartRoot™ Booster has the potential to boost crop yields by 30%-50% without increasing nutrient supply dosage, addressing the inefficiencies of traditional phosphate-based fertilizers.
As a company, SmartRoots is dedicated to producing and distributing biofertilizers that enhance fertilizing efficiency, improve crop tolerance to water stress, and resist diseases. The SmartRoot™ Booster, a bioorganic fertilizer, improves efficiency by enhancing the plant’s ability to absorb and utilize soil nutrients and water. This not only increases crop yields but also reduces the negative environmental impact of synthetic chemical fertilizers.
Team
Nkululeko Ngqinambi
Nkululeko is the Founder of Smartroots and the mastermind behind the development of the product and the business of Smartroots . With a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Chemistry and Geology and further training in project planning focused on social innovation.
