IIT-Kharagpur, NABARD to organise Agri-Food Techathon event

In affiliation with NABARD, IIT Kharagpur is organising the 1st of its type Agri-Meals Techathon (AFT 2021) to promote youth’s participation in innovation and entrepreneurship in unique domains of the agri-foods sector.

Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Union Schooling Minister will inaugurate AFT-21 on January 25, explained a push statement issued by IIT Kharagpur.

The Agri-Enterprise Incubation Centre’s basis will also be laid at the inaugural party, which will carry out the mandate to incubate modern thoughts in agriculture and foods engineering area for creating agri-preneures.

Agriculture is the greatest work vertical with a GDP share of fourteen per cent. In excess of the many years, India has witnessed a sizeable improve in yields, crop variety because of to mechanization and know-how dissemination programmes. Even so, the steeping use because of to population explosion has been a consistent problem demanding fast development in the agricultural sector.

“While India is transferring at an accelerated pace towards automation and digitisation, there is a very important need to have to enhance it with automation in the rural livelihood and farm sector and warrant uniform development. To reach this goal we are reaching out to the proficient youth of this country via the Agri-Meals Techathon. This system will empower them to show and depict their creativeness, dilemma-fixing and prototyping-techniques in agriculture and foods engineering as a result top to indigenous product growth, work generation and fulfilment of our promise to Atmanirbhar Bharat,” Prof. V K Tewari, Director, IIT Kharagpur explained in the statement.

The party is becoming organised by the Agricultural & Meals Engineering Section, Centre for Rural Development & Innovative Sustainable Systems and Rajendra Mishra College of Engineering Entrepreneurship in affiliation with NABARD.

Countrywide amount online fest

The national-amount online technical fest spanned above January – March 2021, will have participation from above 750 college and university college students, business people and rural youths from throughout the country in the age array of twenty-25 many years with numerous tutorial track record. Apart from workshops, mentorship and visitor talks, AFT-2021 will host a competitive B-approach submission for the contributors.

Enterprise and engineering authorities in spots covering farm mechanisation, AIML, IoT in agriculture, precision farming, greenhouse farming, organic farming, agricultural biotechnology, soil engineering and testing, foods processing, packaging and storage, foods provide chain management.

Renowned specialist authorities from premier institutions these types of as IIT Kharagpur, IARI New Delhi, CIAE Bhopal and Founders and CEOs of unique prosperous agri-foods tech startups like Sickle Foundation, Sfarms India, Fasal, Nutrigreen, Natural and organic Farming, Cropin, B2V, Keyhti, Khadyam, Crofarm, WAycool, Villa Mart, would be getting portion in the sensitisation workshop of AFT-2021.

Additional than 30 groups with significant prospective will be selected for formal affiliation with ABIC, IIT Kharagpur. They will be provided help in the kind of engineering and organization growth mentorship, R&D help, laboratory, workshop, pilot plant access and funding alternatives via prospective buyers or accelerators.

“At our Centre, we will aid the incubated begin-ups to develop small-value systems and transfer them for sustainable growth of rural communities. We shall even more perform palms-on teaching, workshops, and seminars for capacity making of farmers and unemployed rural youth,” Prof. H N Mishra, Professor-in-Charge of the Agri Enterprise Incubation Centre (ABIC) explained.

Via action-oriented research, specific emphasis will be given to promote local weather-resilient agriculture in susceptible districts, agricultural value chains, promote farmers’ collectives, value addition, current market-linkage, and hazard management also featuring expert advisory solutions, plan advocacy like making up of human funds in rural spots.