Dr. BR Ambedkar Foundation Delhi Director and Deputy Secretary of Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment Manoj Tiwari launching AgriAI device at Pinagadi village of Pendurthi in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam Director M. James Stephen, local farmers and agriculture labourers are also seen.V. RAJU
| Photo Credit: V. RAJU
Under a blistering summer sun, a small, unassuming solar powered device stood mounted on a tripod on a field at Pinagadi village in Pendurthi mandal near Visakhapatnam city, silently watching rows of crops ahread.It looked like a simple camera, but the technology inside represented a century of academic excellence and a future wherein farmers never have to wonder what’s killing their crop — Enter ‘AgriAI’ device, a sophisticated tool developed by the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair of Andhra University.For decades, farmers in villages like Pinagadi relied on manual inspection to spot and treat pest infestation. This entailed walking kilometres on end, and the farmers often missed the signs of an infestation until it was too late; AgriAI promises to change that.Using Adaptive IoT-AI technology, the device acts as a digital sentinel. It doesn’t just take pictures; it understands them. Using vision models trained on various pest species, it can spot the differences between a harmless beetle and a devastating armyworm, said M. James Stephen, chair professor of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Chair.The device was launched on Sunday (March 8) by director of B.R. Ambedkar Foundation-New Delhi (which comes under the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) Manoj Tiwari in the presence of women agricultural labourers on the occasion of International Women's Day.“We will bring this to the notice of the Union Ministry of Agriculture to see to that this device is affordable and available for all farmers at a subsidised price,” Mr. Tiwari said.What makes this device truly “Adaptive” is its LLM (Large Language Model) Integration, said Mr. Stephen. In the past, data was often delivered in complex charts that were hard for the average farmer to interpret. Now, the device talks.“Once a pest is identified, the system doesn’t just send an alert; it sends a solution, too. Using AI-enabled advisory support, it delivers a scientifically validated prescription directly to the farmer’s mobile phone. It tells them what to use, how much to use, and when to use it—optimising pesticide consumption and saving thousands of rupees in the process,” Mr. Stephen said.“This device surprised us at first, but after learning about it uses, we felt happy,” says Reddi Narayana Rao, a farmer and Rampuram village president.The launch is particularly symbolic as it coincides with Andhra University’s Centenary Year and International Women’s Day, he said, adding that “the project was born out of a desire to merge high-end engineering with the social ideals of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.”“Innovation is meaningless if it remains in the lab,” said Mr. Stephen during a live demonstration. “Our goal is to bring the power of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment directly to the grassroots. This device is about economic empowerment through technology.”By providing real-time weather intelligence and soil analysis alongside pest control, AgriAI offers a holistic “farm management” suite in a single device. For the small-scale farmer, this isn’t just a gadget; it’s an insurance policy against crop failure, he pointed out.Advantages of AgriAIThe AI obviates the need for farmers to manually inspect crops and increases the chances of early detection of pest infestation.Precision agriculture: reduced chemical runoff by targeting only affected areas.Economic shield: lower input costs for pesticides and fertilisers.Indigenous tech: developed in Visakhapatnam for Indian conditions.Instant Connectivity: Real-time mobile alerts ensure no time is lost during an outbreak. Published - March 08, 2026 09:11 pm IST
