Open Projects in Farm Tech
Explore research and CSR opportunities at IIT Madras in this domain.
Farm Tech
19 proposals
Monitoring and prediction of Indian Monsoon in climate change scenario using novel onset , progress and withdrawal criteria based on network science
This CSR proposal creates an objective, network science based framework to define when the Indian monsoon starts, advances and retreats, enabling better prediction tools and deeper insight into how human driven climate change is reshaping rainfall across South Asia.
By: Sujith
Cause: Farm Tech
Net Zero Milk - A Micro Dairy Approach
This CSR proposal establishes a containerised, solar powered micro dairy with biogas and compressed biogas units that convert dairy waste into clean energy, lowering greenhouse emissions while improving the profitability and resilience of small scale milk producers.
By: Satyanarayana Seshadri
Cause: Farm Tech
Detection of spice adulteration using principles of colloids and interface science
IIT Madras proposes a CSR-aligned initiative to develop advanced methods for detecting spice adulteration using colloid and interface science. The project includes developing automated test strips, DIY home-testing tools, and novel sensory-based techniques to improve food safety. This effort aims to empower consumers, enhance quality control, and support safer supply chains across India.
By: Madivala G Basavaraj
Cause: Farm Tech
Local Innovation at source, women empowerment & last mile fabrication
This CSR-aligned RuTAG initiative by IIT Madras focuses on transferring grassroots technologies such as paddy threshers, vending carts, jacquard handlooms, and seed decorticators directly to rural communities. Through training, women-led fabrication, and technical capacity building, the project aims to create sustainable rural livelihoods and uplift thousands of beneficiaries through scalable, technology-driven empowerment.
By: Abhijit Deshpande
Cause: Women Empowerment
Integrated proposal for micro diary and precision agriculture
This IIT Madras CSR initiative integrates micro dairy development with precision agriculture to modernize rural farming, improve productivity, and reduce environmental impact. By promoting net-zero dairy operations, empowering women farmers, and enabling sustainable food production practices, the project aims to transform rural livelihoods while advancing India?s climate action and responsible consumption goals.
By: Satyanarayana Seshadri
Cause: Agriculture
Exploring the use of Optical Coherence Tomography in Fruit Health Monitoring
This IIT Madras initiative integrates Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) for non-destructive fruit health monitoring to enhance food safety, detect artificial ripening, and identify early degradation. By creating a digital OCT image database of Indian fruit varieties, the project strengthens agri-tech innovation, supports consumer safety, and aligns with CSR goals in food quality assurance.
By: Shanti Bhattacharya
Cause: Farm Tech
Combined conversion process for biomass (agriculture and animal wastes) to useful energy
This IIT Madras initiative integrates biochemical and thermochemical conversion methods to transform agricultural and animal waste into high-quality syngas and valuable fuels. The project strengthens India?s renewable energy capabilities, supports circular economy goals, and creates a scalable CSR solution for sustainable waste management, rural impact, and low-carbon energy production.
By: V Raghavan
Cause: Farm Tech
Empowering farmers with soil and fertilizer science & tools Efsoft
This IIT Madras initiative validates a low-cost mobile soil testing kit that delivers fast, accurate analysis for farmers. The solution supports precision fertilizer use, reduces input costs, enhances soil fertility, and boosts agricultural productivity. Designed for small and marginal farmers, the project offers scalable CSR impact for sustainable, data-driven farming across rural India.
By: Indumathi Manivannan Nambi
Cause: Farm Tech
Development of an SERS sensor for rapid detection of food adulterants
This CSR proposal standardizes rapid food testing protocols and delivers a portable, sensor based kit that can identify trace level adulterants on site, reducing testing time and cost while strengthening consumer food safety.
By: Parasuraman Swaminathan
Cause: Farm Tech
On-site soil testing for estimation of NPK levels using simple, sensitive and affordable kits
This CSR-ready project develops simple, affordable soil testing kits that farmers can use directly in the field to measure NPK nutrient levels and improve crop yields. The initiative promotes precision agriculture, reduces reliance on costly lab testing, and creates a live database on soil health across regions. Corporate partners can drive sustainable agriculture, enhance farmer incomes, and showcase tech-enabled rural impact through this collaboration with IIT Madras.?
By: S Pushpavanam
Cause: Farm Tech
Effect of Phosphorus-Doped Carbon Dots from Banana Peels for the Growth and Development of Plants
This CSR-ready project converts banana peel waste into phosphorus-doped carbon dots that act as efficient nano-fertilizers for crops. By improving nutrient-use efficiency in phosphorus- and potassium-deficient soils, the solution can enhance yields while reducing reliance on conventional fertilizers. Corporate partners can back an eco-friendly, scalable pathway that supports circular economy goals and climate-resilient agriculture through research and deployment at IIT Madras.?
By: Smita Srivastava
Cause: Farm Tech
Enabling efficient and sustainable farming with drones
This CSR-ready project deploys agriculture drones to help small and medium farmers spray pesticides and nutrients with far greater precision and lower input costs. By addressing labour shortages, reducing chemical runoff, and improving yields, the initiative modernises farming while protecting soil and water resources. Corporate partners can champion climate-smart agriculture and build farmer resilience across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and NCR villages through this scalable technology program from IIT Madras.?
By: Satya Chakravarthy
Cause: Farm Tech
A turn-key device for detecting salinity of agricultural soil by the average Indian farmer
This CSR-ready project engineers a compact, user-friendly device that measures soil salinity and total metal ion concentration using advanced polymer thin-film technology. Farmers can quickly understand soil quality, reduce crop failure risk, and make better planting decisions across salinity-prone regions in South India. Corporate partners can enable accessible soil diagnostics at scale, supporting climate-resilient agriculture and evidence-based land management through collaboration with IIT Madras.?
By: Tiju Thomas
Cause: Farm Tech
Implementation of Solar Powered multi-purpose Electric Machinery for farm use
This CSR-ready project develops multi-purpose electric farm machinery that runs on locally generated solar power, tailored for small and medium farmers in India. By replacing diesel-based equipment with economical, indigenous technology, the initiative cuts fuel costs, reduces emissions, and improves farm productivity. Corporate partners can advance clean energy adoption in agriculture while creating resilient rural livelihoods through a field-tested model implemented with grassroots NGO collaboration.?
By: Shankar Krishnapillai
Cause: Farm Tech
Farmer-friendly, point of use, portable salinity and HTM sensors with cell-phone interface as new technical aid for the agricultural sector
This CSR-ready project develops a point-of-use sensor that detects heavy metals in soil and water and syncs readings instantly to smartphones. The solution enables rapid environmental quality monitoring, builds a shared database for agriculture and water managers, and supports global efforts to tackle soil salinization and contamination. Corporate partners can strengthen food safety, sustainable farming, and ESG reporting through scalable, field-friendly sensing technology from IIT Madras.?
By: Sreeram Kalpathy
Cause: Farm Tech
A hand-held highly sensitive electrochemical sensor for rapid on-site quantitative detection of NPK ions content in soil
This CSR-ready project designs a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor that measures NPK ions in soil through a portable, handheld device. By giving farmers quick nutrient insights, it supports precision fertiliser application, boosts crop productivity, and reduces environmental impact from overuse of inputs. Corporate partners can enable data-driven, climate-conscious agriculture and demonstrate measurable impact on farmer incomes and soil health through collaboration with IIT Madras.?
By: Sundara Ramaprabhu
Cause: Farm Tech
Paddy waste management leading to an energy storage via supercapacitor technology: Creating a new Farm-Energy synergy
This CSR-ready project transforms paddy waste into activated carbon for high-performance supercapacitors, turning a burning-driven pollution source into a clean energy asset. By linking farmers, industry, and an online data science upskilling program, the initiative boosts rural incomes, lowers emissions, and nurtures export-ready green technology. Corporate partners can champion circular economy solutions that connect agriculture, energy storage, and skill development across India.?
By: Tiju Thomas
Cause: Farm Tech
Complex network approach to study extreme events in Indian Summer Monsoon
This CSR-ready project builds complex climate networks to understand the Indian Summer Monsoon and identify local and global precursors to extreme rainfall events. By improving forecasts for cyclones, floods, and anomalous monsoon patterns, the research supports resilient agriculture, infrastructure planning, and UN-aligned sustainable development goals. Corporate partners can enable high-impact climate intelligence that informs risk management, insurance models, and long-term ESG strategies in India.?
By: Sujith
Cause: Farm Tech
Low-cost Spectrometry based Solutions for Agriculture and Food Technology
This CSR-ready project develops affordable optical and near-infrared spectrometry solutions for rapid quality assessment of agricultural produce and food products. By combining indigenous hardware with analytical software, IoT integration, and big data analytics, the platform enables automated, scalable testing tailored to industry-specific needs. Corporate partners can strengthen supply-chain transparency, reduce wastage, and build safer, higher-value agri-food systems across India.?
By: Sivaramakrishnan
Cause: Farm Tech