Interview with Dr. Vaibhav Tidke – CEO, S4S Technologies
S4S Technologies is transforming the face of agriculture in India by introducing solar-powered dehydration as a sustainable solution to tackle post-harvest losses. Founded by a team of individuals deeply rooted in farming communities, S4S has taken on the challenge of reducing food wastage while empowering women farmers through entrepreneurship. The vision and dedication of Dr. Vaibhav Tidke, CEO of S4S Technologies, have played a crucial role in developing solutions that blend renewable energy with social impact, creating opportunities for economic growth and food security.
In this interview, Dr. Tidke shares insights into the motivations behind S4S, the impact of solar-powered technology on rural communities, and the company’s ongoing efforts to scale up their operations to benefit more farmers across India.
What inspired the creation of S4S Technologies, and how did you identify solar-powered dehydration as a solution to India’s post-harvest losses?
S4S Technologies was born from the experiences of the founding members, who were children of farming families. The founders experienced firsthand how post-harvest losses severely affected the livelihoods of smallholder farmers and how the absence of reliable energy infrastructure and limited market access led to enormous amounts of avoidable crop waste. Through extensive research, S4S identified solar-powered dehydration as a solution that not only preserved produce, but also empowered farmers. It transformed agriculturalists, a majority of whom were women, into micro-entrepreneurs empowering them to earn better livelihoods. By leveraging solar energy, S4S created a unique technology that tackled post-harvest losses and reduced food waste. This solution particularly impressed the DBS Foundation, which first gave S4S a grant in 2019 to help the company expand its food-preservation offerings to more locations.
Could you explain how S4S’s solar-powered dehydration technology works and how it helps preserve crops while reducing carbon footprint?
Our Solar Conduction Dryers (SCD) uses solar energy to dehydrate crops by removing moisture through the process of conduction and convection heating. The SCD absorbs and transfers solar energy directly to the produce, efficiently dehydrating it, increasing shelf life from a few days up to a year — without the use of any chemicals or preservatives. This not only reduces the amount of food that would normally get wasted, but the dehydration process is also completed without the need for electricity or fossil fuels, thus mitigating carbon impact. The technology is both accessible and eco-friendly, enabling farmers to preserve produce while significantly reducing their carbon footprint.
The involvement of an all-women workforce is a key aspect of your business model. How has empowering rural women as micro-entrepreneurs transformed their role in their communities?
By providing training in solar-powered food processing, we have enabled women farmers to transition into successful micro-entrepreneurs. This has empowered them with financial independence and increased their participation in community decision-making. With additional incomes of ₹50,000 to ₹100,000 each annually through the preserved food, their households are now more financially stable, and with the use of the SCD, they are better equipped to handle climate shocks in the long run. These women have become role models in their communities, advocating for sustainable practices and inspiring other women to pursue entrepreneurship, fostering greater gender equality in their villages.
India’s agricultural sector faces significant post-harvest losses. How has S4S contributed to mitigating this issue, and what measurable impact have you seen from your efforts?
Women farmers in rural areas are confronted with several challenges such as unpredictable income, exacerbated by post-harvest losses and bias in work distribution and compensation, which complicates the gender-energy-food nexus in India.
- Post-Harvest Losses: As study to determine post-harvest losses of agri-produce in India by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries has shown that at least 15% of fruits and vegetables are lost after harvest in India and this percentage could go much higher. Any loss of produce translates to lost production resources, mainly land, water, energy, and inputs. It is also lost income for the various actors in the supply chain.
- Poverty: Almost 90 percent of agricultural households in India own less than 2 hectares of land, as per the Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households in 2019. A changing climate, lack of infrastructure and fragmented land holdings make it difficult for millions of smallholder farmers to feed their families, much less earn a profit from their labor.
- Gender: The agricultural sector employs a majority of all economically active women in India. Estimates show that agriculture has the highest female labour force participation of 62.9 per cent (Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey, 2021-2022). As men increasingly migrate to urban areas in search of jobs, female members of the family take over the responsibility of working in the fields.
The food waste produced represents a significant loss of income opportunity for poor and marginal farmers who are already exposed to poor crop yields and consequent upstream waste due to prolonged drought and extreme precipitation events. The anaerobic decomposition of landfill agricultural waste releases methane and carbon dioxide, estimated currently at more than 500 million metric tons of carbon dioxide in India. Further, procurement and processing of agri-produce in the Indian eco-system is performed by different stakeholders and the supply-chain is largely driven by unorganized players. This exacerbates farm waste and price realization for low income, marginal farmers whose produce often has low shelf-lives.
The S4S solution solves four major problems- simultaneously- of food wastage, limited access to clean energy for industrial use of food processing, low income to farmers, malnutrition while bridging the gaps of gender inequality by promoting women entrepreneurship and participation in the workforce. S4S has designed a unique ecosystem-based business model where the company targets the entire value chain-from technology development to market- capturing, creating and redistributing value across the supply chain.
- Economic Impact: S4S has empowered over 3,500 women farmers to be Micro Entrepreneurs, doubling their annual income by ₹50,000 to ₹100,000.
- Environmental Impact: Prevented over 200,000 tons of food from being wasted annually, mitigating 1.8 million tons of CO2 emissions.
- Social Impact: Fostered gender equality by enabling women to take on leadership roles within their communities.
- Job Creation: Created over 250 green jobs, providing sustainable employment in rural areas.
- Sustainable Ecosystem: Developed an integrated system addressing economic, environmental, and social challenges, positioning women as key agents of change.
In this respect, we have to thank the DBS Foundation which has been a trusted partner over the years. Now in its 10th year, the Foundation has been a long time supporter of vulnerable segments, ensuring that those with the fewest resources are not denied the opportunity to improve their circumstances and approach the future with confidence. The catalytic capital we’ve received from the Foundation in 2019 has helped us scale S4S and its impact. We also help support DBS Bank India’s program with Savitribai Phule Mahila Ekatma Samaj Mandal, which is strucutred around the objective of improving livlihoods for farmers and their families. With women micro-entrepreneurs as the primary beneficiaries, the program also drives other developmental objectives like gender inclusivity and equality.
How do you balance profitability with purpose, ensuring both economic growth for farmers and long-term sustainability?
At S4S, profitability and purpose are inherently linked. Our model ensures that farmer incomes double, while reducing the environmental impact of food wastage. By providing market linkages and renewable energy solutions, we empower women farmers to lower operational costs and achieve financial resilience. The scalability of our model, alongside measurable impact metrics such as increased farmer profitability and reduced CO2 emissions, ensures that our growth balances financial returns with our mission of creating lasting social and environmental change, so our organization can do well by doing good.
How has the grant from DBS Foundation in 2019 accelerated the growth and impact of S4S Technologies, particularly in scaling operations and empowering more women?
Given its heritage as a development bank, scaling businesses is in DBS’s DNA. The DBS Foundation’s Business for Impact Grant Award is specifically designed for social enterprises and SMEs focusing on the areas of financial inclusion and providing daily needs to the underserved. The program goes beyond financial support and offers the grant awardees access to a robust ecosystem of experts and partners, and even integrates them into DBS’ culture and operations. Having over a decade of experience working with social enterprises to effect real-world impact, the DBS Foundation can help emerging businesses effectively balance profit and purpose. In fact, the DBS grant in 2019 was instrumental in helping S4S to expand operations into new regions and introduce additional value chains for vegetables and spices, diversifying income sources for women farmers. This funding also allowed us to enhance our technology and financial services, offering more comprehensive support to farmers.
What challenges have you encountered while expanding S4S’s operations across India, and how have you adapted to overcome these challenges?
We faced several challenges, including initial reluctance from farmers to adopt new technologies. To overcome this, we implemented extensive training and demonstration projects to showcase the benefits of solar-powered processing. Managing costs and scaling production was another hurdle, which we addressed by optimizing our manufacturing processes and partnering with local organizations for efficient distribution. DBS Foundation has been a steadfast champion of social entrepreneurship in this context. The strategic partnerships we formed through the grant network helped increase our market presence, while expert mentorship guided us in refining our operational strategies for more effective scaling. Challenges like space constraints in rural areas were resolved by designing compact, modular solar dryers, enabling decentralized processing directly at the farm gate.
How do you ensure that the women operating the dehydration units are equipped with the necessary skills and technology to maintain high standards of operation and quality?
We offer comprehensive, hands-on training programs tailored to the needs of rural women, covering the technical and operational aspects of solar-powered dehydration. This includes machine handling, quality control, and understanding market requirements. Continuous follow-up sessions, peer-to-peer learning, and access to technical support ensure that the women operating the machines maintain high standards. Regular monitoring and feedback loops further help to sustain quality, ensuring consistent adherence to best practices.
What is your vision for the future of agriculture in India, and how do you see disruptive models like S4S playing a role in transforming the agricultural supply chain?
Our vision for the future of agriculture in India is both sustainable and inclusive, with smallholder farmers, especially women, at the core of the agricultural value chain. Disruptive models like S4S, which integrate renewable energy and decentralised processing, will transform the supply chain by reducing inefficiencies, increasing profitability, and enhancing food security. Our solar-powered solutions reduce dependency on fossil fuels, are gender inclusive, and contribute to climate resilience, reshaping the agricultural landscape into a more equitable system.
What are the next steps for S4S Technologies in terms of scaling your social impact and further enhancing the economic contributions of women micro-entrepreneurs in rural India?
We aim to scale both vertically and horizontally. Our target is to engage more women farmers across new geographies while expanding our value chains to include crops like milk and corn. With a proven model that has empowered over 3,500 women and benefited 300,000 smallholder farmers, we are well-positioned to scale across additional states in India. By reinvesting profits into infrastructure, training, and technology, we ensure sustainable revenue streams and continuous growth. Strengthened partnerships with Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), NGOs, and financial institutions will drive further integration into formal economic systems, broadening our social impact and fostering rural development.
(India CSR)
