: The I-Hub spread over 10,000 sft space on the ICRISAT campus at Patancheru inaugurated by IT Minister K T Rama Rao on Monday can accommodate 10 innovation teams to ideate on converging information technology and agriculture on a single platform to bring about innovations in the farm sector.
It was estimated that under each innovation, about four persons will take active part and the facility created at International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics can provide space for about 40 persons to work simultaneously.
Progressive Environmental and Agricultural Technologies (PEAT), a Germany based progressive young company, has developed an app, Plantix, which identifies pests on plants with a photograph. A large database was created for this purpose and the trial part has already been completed.
Another information technology and agriculture technology convergence is from Keansa Solutions LLP, a Hyderabad-based firm, which has been promoting the right price for bananas from Chagantipadu of Krishna district. “With market price available online and buyers queuing up for the produce, the farmers will almost get double the price for their bananas ,” Kiran Yellampally, co-founder, Keansa Solutions, told The Hindu.
Agrostar is another organisation involved in supplying required inputs for farmers on various topics. They would also supply the material and equipment needed by farmers.
‘Thought folks’ is another organisation working on social media platform with farmer related issues. GPC-GIS, IDEO.org, Sangam ventures and Bharat Innovations Fund are some other organisations that showed interest in working with I-Hub, said Ram Kiran Dhulipala, Head, Digital Agriculture, ICRISAT. Entrepreneurs with passion are the ideal individuals to tackle problems using innovation and drive conversations at the intersection of agriculture, finance and IT.
