Greenwood school student develops concepts to increase farm yields

Bengaluru: In a novel and vibrant initiative to help the farming community, Greenwood High International School Grade 11 IBDP student Rahul Prabhu has developed a prototype concept, FarmEye, to help increase farm yields and monitor crop health by using smart satellite imagery in order to reduce hunger in India.

Rahul, aged 16 is currently working on this idea, and is attempting to transform his research into a prototype and eventually, a fully usable system that can be utilised by farmers. Rahul recently presented his research and concept to professors from the University of California, Berkeley and at the headquarters of the American multinational computer software company in San Francisco (both located in America).

Farmers may not be connected to technology and do not have effective solutions to deal with their problems. Rahul's solution is satellite imagery, allowing farmers to identify nutrient deficiencies in crops, monitor crop health, manage fertilizer application, identify disease and pest infestations and prevent weeds from spreading.

Commenting on the initiative, the student of Greenwood High, Rahul Prabhu said, "Project FarmEye will allow farmers to make full use of their land, protect their income and make informed decisions through an app. This app (currently in the prototype stage) features a homepage with a map, allowing farmers to select fields. There is also a soil fertility page, where information about the soil is given and suggestions on how it should be managed. We plan to launch pilot programs in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana soon."

The project is funded through a fundraiser and farmers from Kerala and other states have shown interest in the project through a survey. To stay competitive, a board of advisors (both in technical and market base areas) will be constituted as satellite imagery is very research focused and algorithms and models will be developed to help farmers and interact with large corporations. Project FarmEye will have a premium business model i.e., farmers will have access to basic data and information, but more features (better feedback, higher resolution imagery, etc.) will require a small fee to be accessed.

Commending Rahul on his project, Trustee, Greenwood High International Student, Niru Agarwal said, "I find Rahul's project very useful to the farming community. Farmers are not very well endowed and hence an effort to boost their living standards and livelihood is the need of the hour. This project, once it turns into a practical system, will help the agrarian community to reap better returns. I hope more students will take up such noble projects." Rahul worked with 1 Million For 1 Billion (1M1B) team that was mentoring him with his research and developing his idea. 1M1B is a social innovation and future skills initiative aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and enables youth to become future ready problem solvers creating real world impact.