No sunlight, no soil: Palakkad-based start-up brings AI powered farming home

The portable unit requires neither sunlight nor frequent maintenance, while keeping pesticides and conventional fertilisers out of the equation.
The portable unit requires no sunlight or frequent maintenance, keeping pesticides and conventional fertilisers out of equation.
The portable unit requires no sunlight or frequent maintenance, keeping pesticides and conventional fertilisers out of equation.Photo Special Arrangement
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when the demand for organic fruits and vegetables is growing, but the time and space to cultivate them remain limited, a Palakkad-based start-up is looking to bring farming right into people’s homes.

Developed as a fully automated hydroponics unit roughly the size of a refrigerator, the CAAX Mobile Farming Unit by X BOSON AI is an AI-powered farming system that could redefine the concept of a kitchen garden.

The portable unit requires neither sunlight nor frequent maintenance, while keeping pesticides and conventional fertilisers out of the equation.

The start-up, which began operations in 2022, is showcasing the innovation at Huddle Global 2026, the start-up festival organised by the Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM). At the heart of the system is a nearly six-foot-tall mobile farming unit featuring three levels of plant arrangements.

Saplings are placed in food-grade acrylic base sheets containing the growing medium, which supplies the nutrients required for their growth. Each of the three sections is also fitted with artificial LED grow lights, eliminating the need for natural sunlight.

This means one could potentially harvest fresh, organically grown vegetables even from a shady corner of an apartment!