According to WHO, approximately 33% of the world population does not have access to safe drinking water. To visualize that, it is 1 in every 3 people. In India, 90-120 million don't have access to safe drinking water. 80% of freshwater usage is for agriculture in India. Even around the world, 70% of freshwater is used for agriculture. According to UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, 60% of the water used in agriculture is wasted. It is now ever more important to save water.
One way to save water is through increasing the efficiency of water usage in agriculture. There are already solutions for this like rainwater harvesting, and drip irrigation, but these are still not very efficient.
So, I decided to develop Smart Irrigation System with Farming Assistance. I am developing a product which can precisely water crops depending on soil nature, weather, and crop type. Along with that, I am developing a Machine Learning Algorithm that can provide suggestions to farmers on the most optimal farming methods (which uses the resources efficiently) depending on various parameters (soil nature, crop type, current weather, weather forecast). Examples include when to grow crops, amount of fertilizers to be used and when to harvest crops.
Agriculture is an important sector in India, moreover it has been the backbone of India for decades, and it accounts for 14% of India's GDP. In 2020, Agriculture sector employed over 41% of the workforce in India. Agriculture is a big and an important sector in India. With the right marketing and development process, this product can reach and help many farmers of India.
I started this development process back in August 2020. The fully-functional prototype will be ready by end of next year. This product idea has received special recognition from StartUp India - Ministry of Commerce and Industry.