Kerala techie's smart farming method clicks well
KANNUR: It was certainly not the best time to start a new venture. But, Dr Raji Sukumar couldn't wait for long.
After months' of hardwork, the 45-year-old PhD holder in Computer Science has devised a concept called Farm in a box @ campus by which farmers could incorporate advanced digital technology in traditional farming methods for improved food production.
"Though it took some time from the inception of the idea in 2019 to the implementation in 2021, I am quite satisfied that all my efforts have paid off," said the director of Techtern, a farm-based startup venture. Though the concept was devised before the lockdown days, the implementation got stuck in the pandemic hassles.
The model of the project by Techtern was presented at the Agri Conclave held at Kannur University in November last year. The idea was well-received at the conclave, where Dr U Faisal, of Business Incubation Centre, Kannur University, had offered the support of the university in executing the project on its campus. "Smart farming has immense potential to take farming to the next level. However, it has not yet become popular among Kerala farmers," said Faisal.
Raji was lucky to have the district unit of Haritha Keralam Mission fund the project during the first phase.
"The concept should be recognised and popularised among the farming community, especially among the youth. One should see the fertility of the farms managed under this project," Faisal said. The ideas of experts were sought during the selection of seeds, managing the farms, introduction of technology like digital drip irrigation and the marketing of farm products.
One of the high points is the smart black box developed by Sanal Joseph of Alakkode, CEO of Digitech. It helps to operate the digital management of drip irrigation.
In the first phase, the project was implemented at two centres of Kannur University, at Mangattuparamba and Palayad campuses. Both experiments have come out well with the active participation of students, especially during the marketing phase. "Another positive side is that, we have succeeded in instilling a passion for farming among students," said Faisal.
Though there are some hiccups in the implementation, Raji says that once the number of farmers are increased by forming a group, farming could be made into a financially viable project. Since smart farming makes work easier, anybody could step into farming using the technical support offered by Techtern, said Faisal. The idea should be taken up by government to more campuses, including schools.
"The quality of the vegetables produced at Mangattuparmba campus and Palayad campus has been outstanding. That shows the result of systematic implementation of farming technology. Even in times of Covid, this should not be gone unnoticed," said Raji. "As of now, there are ladies fingers, brinjals, green chillies and cucumbers are being cultivated. In future, we plan to do more varieties," she said.