Pune: Although, India has been an agriculture country for ages, it gained a dubious distinction after hundreds of farmers committed suicides over crop failure, irregular monsoon season, different weather patterns and climate changes. Governments borrowed technologies from the world over to resolve the issues, but none of the technologies was cent per cent beneficial. But now, we can look beyond the horizon. Two young researchers from the city have devised a method of water management irrigation project which will stop the water wastage besides increasing the crop yield. They have a firm named 'Sense it out'.
Maharashtra Education Society's College of Engineering, Electronic and Telecommunication Professor Abhay Hake and his student Jasveer Singh have developed this device which will be not only cost effective but will also educate farmers over crop pattern, time to water the crops and various different matters.
Hake said, “It is a known fact that despite water crunch, Israel has been a glaring example of fine agriculture and happy farmers. We (India) borrowed various technologies but somehow, it did not work out. Thus, we thought of devising this water management irrigation method wherein the water wastage can be stopped. Maharashtra being the largest producer of sugarcane, gallons of water get wasted as the proper timing to water the plants is not followed."
“There are many reasons for it right from shortage of power to lack of awareness among the farmers. The plants need water only when the photosynthesis process is on. Similarly, we need to water only the roots of the plants and not everywhere,” explained Hake. He added that maintaining the soil texture, moisture is also important besides monitoring the temperature.
"The method we devised will have a controller installed on the water pump,” he said. It will be a wireless technology where the pump will start watering the plants as soon as photosynthesis process begins. Besides that, it will also monitor the temperature, texture, soil nutrients and other related things”, he added.
This will limit the use of the water and will give a good yield. The messages about when to water, how to maintain the temperature, texture of the soil, crop pattern according to the location, local climate and various other factors influencing the crop yield will be given to the farmers through a messaging system, he said.
"Along with me and Singh, agriculture scientists Madhukar Thombre and Ganesh Bapkar worked on this project. We had made the presentations of the project during the Digital India competition to the Government of India. We got selected and received Rs 2 lakh as grant. We developed it further and under the Government of India's 'Nidhi Prayas', our project was selected and we were given grant of Rs 10 lakh,” he said.
"We are currently in talks with various business start-ups to take up this project. The individual cost for a farmer would be Rs 25,000 currently, but if it is produced on a mass scale, the cost will reduce,” he said.
