Technology meets tradition: electricity in agriculture

Rainstick, recipient of an NRMA Insurance Help Fund climate-smart innovation grant, are on a mission to create solutions to help farmers increase crop yields and improve food security.

Their work is underpinned by the naturally occurring phenomenon of electromagnetism; the interaction between electrically charged objects and their associated fields. A fundamental force in how the universe functions and how natural systems thrive^1,2.

For years, many scientists and researchers have been interested in whether electromagnetic energy can be used to help stimulate crop growth to enhance sustainable plant production and food security. But what is electromagnetic energy, and how does it work?

Put simply: the Earth has a naturally generated magnetic field, known as geomagnetism³. It’s invisible, but instrumental. Then, there’s all the living organisms on our planet, which produce their own electric potentials and currents, known as bioelectricity. When these forces combine, it can lead to interactions that influence the growth and maintenance of life as we know it.

So, the question on the lips of many scientists and innovators is this: Can this natural occurring phenomenon be replicated by technology, to help influence plant growth and production?

The research suggests it may be possible, and that’s where Rainstick comes in. They use electric seed treatments to help enhance plant growth. It’s an efficient and environmentally friendly technique that with the right backing and infrastructure, can be used at scale.

Enhancing agricultural processes sits close to the hearts of Rainstick’s founders — Darryl Lyons and Mic Black — who were both brought up on farms. But it was the synchronicity of electroculture with Darryl’s Indigenous heritage that bolstered his personal commitment to give back to the land and make a difference through modern technology.

Rainstick’s electric seed treatments are inspired by ancient knowledge. “All our traditional knowledge holders were kind of connected to biodiversity, so while the ceremonies were not scientific by Western standards, there was an inherent understanding on the influence of electricity on food cultivation”, Darryl reflects, as he explained the traditional rainmaking ceremonies and practices of the Maiawali people, who used the ‘chuggera’ (lightning stick) in ceremony to improve harvests.

Darryl is committed to continuing to build on this ancient practice. Now with the additional funding received from the Help Fund climate-smart grant, Darryl and Mic’s eyes are set on scaling up.

In a recent trial with a Singapore Food Agency growing pak choy (a member of the cabbage family), Rainstick’s technology has been found to generate 27% more leaf mass in weight compared with normal growing times. While this was achieved on a small scale, the ambition now is to level up. “We want to be able to go from where we can treat up to a kilo in one go, to where we can treat 500 plus or more kilos in a week.” Darryl explains.

When you think about what that could mean for food security, it’s no small feat. “When you look at that kind of scenario, [in time], if we could achieve an additional 3000 tons of additional pak choy per week, so that relates to something ridiculous like an additional 30 million serves of pak choy to go into people’s meals.”

The potential is huge, and it’s all testament to a small electrical input that can be run off a battery. “It's maybe $20 or $30 worth of electricity to treat that amount of seed, so the unit economics of the technology really stack up, and that's why it has so much potential, because it could work in outdoor production, food production and nature restoration” says Darryl.

At NRMA Insurance, we have a long history of helping communities prepare for, recover from and adapt to extreme weather. Over the years, we’ve partnered with community organisations and worked with governments to champion improved disaster resilience. Help Fund reflects our most recent commitment to support climate resilience in Australia.

Help Fund supports emerging climate leaders, community-led resilience projects and innovative solutions focused on helping communities better prepare for the impacts of extreme weather.

To learn more about Help Fund recipients of the grants and other NRMA Insurance initiatives, head to NRMA Insurance Help Fund.

¹ England, S.J. and Robert, D. (2022), The ecology of electricity and electroreception. Biol Rev. 97: 383-413. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12804  

² Kashy, E., Robinson, F.N.H., McGrayne, S.B. (2026, February 2). Electromagnetism. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/electromagnetism

³ S.S. Jayakrishna, S. Sankar Ganesh, (2025) Unveiling the effects of electric field treatments on crop cultivation: a game-changing sustainable energy strategy for plant pathogen eradication and boosting yield growth in agriculture, validated with an artificial intelligence approach. Energy Nexus. (18). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nexus.2025.100438