Smart and Sustainable Agriculture: Leveraging AI, IoT, and Big Data for Societal Impact

The Ballari Institute of Technology and Management (BITM), Ballari, Department of Computer Science and Engineering (Data Science), successfully organized a one-week Faculty Development Program (FDP) sponsored by AICTE Training and Learning (ATAL) Academy on the theme “Smart and Sustainable Agriculture: Leveraging AI, IoT, and Big Data for Societal Impact” from September 15th To 20th , 2025

Objectives:

• To provide practical knowledge on precision farming.
• To impart insights inTo smart irrigation techniques.
• To train participants in agricultural data analytics.
• To explore sustainable farming practices.
• To demonstrate the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and Big Data technologies in agriculture.

Outcomes:

• Gained practical knowledge of Precision Farming and Smart Irrigation.
• Developed skills in Agricultural Data Analytics.
• Learned to promote Sustainable Agricultural Practices.
• Applied AI, IoT, and Big Data technologies to enhance agricultural productivity and sustainability.

Programme Overview:

Day FDP provided faculty members and researchers with hands-on knowledge and practical insights into Precision Farming, Smart Irrigation, Agricultural Data Analytics, and Sustainable Agricultural Practices using AI, IoT, and Big Data technologies. Eminent experts from leading institutions across India delivered insightful lectures and conducted interactive sessions and demonstrations.

Day-wise Sessions

Day 1:

• Dr. Tripti Swarnkar (NIT Raipur) – AI-based Crop Monitoring
• Dr. Jagadeesh R. M. (BITM) – Disease Detection (Practical)
• Mrs. Kaveri Bommanakatti (Delight Pvt. Ltd., Bengaluru) – Crop Monitoring using Big Data

Day 2:

• Dr. Sharangouda Hiregoudar – Nanotechnology in Food Processing
• Dr. Suresh Y. – AI-based Agricultural Practices
• Mr. Hemant Kumar – Google Cloud and Machine Learning (Hands-on)

Day 3:

• Dr. Rupam Kumar Sharma – Genetic Trait Mapping and Quantitative Trait Locus Mapping in Maize (Practical)
• Dr. Renuka Sagar – Drone-based Crop Disease Detection

Day 4:

• Mr. Vishwanath Gowda H. – Smart and Sustainable Agriculture through AI, IoT, Big Data, Cybersecurity, and Cloud (AWS)
• Dr. Aradhana D. – Fruit Quality Estimation using Computer Vision
• Mr. Raymond Iru Dayaraj I. – IoT Innovations for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture

Day 5:

• Industrial Visit: Krishi Vigyana Kendra, Hagari
• Dr. Shiba Narayan Swain (IIT Dharwad) – AI and Blockchain for Next-Generation Agricultural Technologies (Practical Demonstrations)

Day 6:

• Dr. Manjunath Kumar B. H. (SJC Institute of Technology, Chikkaballapur) – IoT and Edge AI in Smart Farming
• Mrs. Tejashwini S. G. (Accenture, Bengaluru) – Agricultural Data Analytics using Power BI (Hands-on)

Valedictory Function

The FDP concluded with a Valedictory Function, where a summary of activities was presented, and participants were awarded certificates from the AICTE ATAL Academy.

Chief Patrons

• Dr. Yashwanth Bhupal – Chairman, BITM
• Prof. Y. J. Pruthviraj Bhupal – Director
• Dr. Yadavalli Basavaraj – Principal
• Dr. B. S. Khened – Vice Principal

Organizing Team

• Conveners: Dr. Aradhana D. (HoD, CSE-DS), Dr. R. N. Kulkarni (Dean & HoD, CSE)
• Course Coordinators: Dr. Jagadeesh R. M., Dr. Renuka Sagar, Mr. Ajar Baig M.
• Course Secretary: Mr. Manjunath Kammar

The one-week FDP successfully provided participants with valuable practical insights into leveraging modern technologies for sustainable and smart agricultural practices.