Paddy farmers in Elappully panchayat in Palakkad may soon have less reason to worry about their fields drying up due to water scarcity. The panchayat has joined hands with agri-tech startup Revin Krishi to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help farmers adopt better practices to tackle the growing water crisis.

According to Agriculture Officer Vinod Kumar B S, farmers in Palakkad primarily face water shortages due to declining rainfall and the inefficient distribution of canal water. "Although water is supplied through canals such as Walayar, which transport water from dams, it does not reach every farmer, as some tend to use more water than they actually need, resulting in wastage. Revin Krishi will alert farmers on the exact amount of water to be used to avoid any wastage," Vinod Kumar told Onmanorama.

Founder of Revin Krishi, Sreehari V, said farmers often rely on estimates while deciding how much water their fields require, leading to unnecessary consumption. "A farmer might be using 10 cm of water when actually they might only need 7.5 cm or less. The startup's AI-based technology will advise farmers on the precise amount of water required for their crops," Sreehari said. This approach is based on the alternate wetting and drying (AWD) method, an irrigation technique used to save water in paddy cultivation.

Although Elappully is a single panchayat, its farmland comprises several ecological zones with varying topography and water-flow patterns. Taking these differences into account, 250 acres of farmland have been identified for the pilot project, the Agriculture officer said. The land has been divided into different zones, including A1, A2 and A3, based on the respective farmers and the characteristics of their fields, he added.

"One of the major objectives of the project is to reduce the production cost of paddy cultivation by at least 40 per cent, while also addressing challenges related to irrigation," Vinod Kumar said.

As part of the initiative, farm-monitoring devices are being installed, and the farmland will undergo soil assessment. Drone mapping has also been completed, along with the collection of multispectral data.

Explaining the importance of multispectral imaging, Sreehari said conventional photographs capture fields in RGB (red, green and blue), whereas multispectral data can provide information about vegetation indices and moisture content. "A crop calendar will also be prepared for participating farmers. Data will be collected in real time, with regular updates provided to help them make informed decisions about cultivation," he added.

"The crop calendar will tell them which types of crops should be planted when. They will receive alerts on what the weather will be like next week and whether pests are likely to be found on their plants," Sreehari said.

The AI-powered application will also provide them with crop-specific alerts, including weather forecasts and predictions, nutrient management, plant development monitoring, harvest planning, yield and quality predictions, and other farming practices.

Revin Krishi has outlined several expected benefits, including a 33 per cent reduction in water usage, an 18 per cent increase in growers' income, a 28 per cent reduction in input costs and a 22 per cent increase in farm produce. The initiative also aims to conduct various agricultural training programmes.

Farmer participation has been encouraging, according to Sreehari. "As of now, we have conducted classes for farmers who have been more than willing to be part of the project and who know the hardships of the ongoing water crisis," he said.

Elappully ward member Raghunathan E C said that Revin Krishi has allocated around ₹10 lakh for the project, which will use the latest technology to help farmers. “As a panchayat, we have always tried to incorporate the latest farming practices and include homemakers and women," he said.