Nodal Institute: IIT Ropar

Theme Overview 

Agriculture is the backbone of India’s economy and central to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Yet, the sector faces urgent challenges from climate change, resource scarcity, fragmented supply chains, and the need to deliver safe, nutritious, and sustainable food for a growing population. As the world’s largest producer of diverse crops and home to rich agro-ecological zones, India has both the responsibility and the opportunity to lead global innovations in agriculture and food systems.

The Agri & Food Technologies theme aims to reimagine the agri-food value chain from soil to shelf by embedding deep-tech, cyber-physical systems (CPS), and AI-driven solutions into agriculture and water management. The focus spans precision agriculture powered by AI, IoT, and drones; smart irrigation and water intelligence systems; real-time soil and crop health monitoring sensors; farm automation and robotics; and digital twins for decision-support in farming. Beyond production, the theme covers advanced food processing, cold-chain logistics, AI/Blockchain-enabled supply chains, and sustainable packaging to reduce waste and ensure quality.

IIT Ropar anchors this theme through two flagship national initiatives:

• Annam.ai – a ₹310 Cr Centre of Excellence on AI in Agriculture established by the Ministry of Education, India’s first AI-driven CoE dedicated to agriculture.
• iHub – AWaDH – a DST-funded Technology Innovation Hub under NM-ICPS with ₹110 Cr support and additional support by Startup India, MeiTY,  has supported 150+ deeptech startups and delivered over 80 lab-to-land technology solutions and have empowered over 5000 individuals.

Together, these initiatives align with Startup India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, by nurturing ventures at TRL 3–9 and advancing indigenous, scalable technologies for agriculture and water.

Representative Focus Areas of Ventures 

• Precision agriculture (AI, IoT, drones, CPS, smart irrigation)
• AI/ML platforms for soil, crop, and water health monitoring
• Farm automation, robotics, and autonomous machinery
• Digital twins and decision-support systems for farm management
• Digital supply chain and logistics platforms (AI/Blockchain-enabled)
• Advanced food processing, storage, and cold-chain technologies
• Sustainable packaging and circular economy solutions

*Representative examples, not limited to these

Short Summary 

Agri & Food Technologies, led by IIT Ropar through Annam.ai (MoE’s AI CoE in Agriculture) and iHub – AWaDH (DST’s NM-ICPS Hub), drive deep-tech and CPS-led innovations in AgriTech and WaterTech. By fostering TRL 3–9 solutions in AI, IoT, robotics, and digital platforms, the theme delivers lab-to-land impact, empowering farmers and advancing Atmanirbhar Bharat.