PoCRA

Project Name: Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture

Partner: Department of Agriculture (DoA), Government of Maharashtra

Sectors: Agriculture, Energy

Category: Computer Science, Agriculture/Water Management

Project website: https://mahapocra.gov.in/

Current Team:

    - Professor-in-charge: Milind Sohoni, Priya Jadhav

    - Senior IT/project experts: Hemant, Asim

    - Team: Satish

Description: Climate variability and extreme weather events pose serious challenges to farmers’ agricultural productivity and livelihoods across central Maharashtra, one of the most environmentally sensitive regions in India. Smallholder farmers here face a range of issues related to water management, energy access, and other critical inputs that affect their ability to produce crops profitably.

We seek to address these challenges by leveraging technology and scientific research to develop scalable tools and advisory services that provide farmers with accurate information about water and energy management. Ultimately, our grand vision is to empower farmers and decision-makers alike with the tools and knowledge necessary to build a sustainable and thriving agricultural sector in central Maharashtra, one that can adapt and thrive in the face of climate change and other environmental challenges.

The partnership has been ongoing since August 2018, with the fifth MoU from May 2023 to April 2024 currently in progress. The collaboration has resulted in the design and development of water balance models, tools, and their integration into village plans.

Over the years, as more datasets became available, the models and tools were further refined, and a broad IT stack and database layer were developed to facilitate advisories and run a dashboard. The most recent work involves analysing energy supply variations in villages, modeling stream flow due to rainfall using DEMs (Digital Elevation Maps), etc.

The details of the previous work, MoU and reports can be found at https://www.cse.iitb.ac.in/~pocra/

Roles: 3 Data Analysis & Modelling Positions

Stipend: Paid project (join community for more details)

Project Duration: 6 months (minimum), registration for BTP/R&D project is recommended after summers. The student must be on campus while working on the project. Room retention can be arranged.

We need highly motivated students to join our team working on a project focused on developing scalable tools and advisory services to analyse and model water and energy usage and vulnerability. The work requires you to:

1. Analyze large datasets and develop predictive models to improve water and energy management in the regions
2. Work on the development and maintenance of a broad IT stack and database layer for the project
3. Implement and test complex rainfall and weather models using data from various weather stations across the state
4. Conduct analyses of energy supply variations in villages and model stream flow due to rainfall using digital elevation maps
5. Participate in the development and refinement of tools, including water balance models, and their integration into village plans
6. Assist in the creation of advisories and dashboards to disseminate information to farmers and decision-makers
7. Work with the team to incorporate social value accounting into the project, considering the monetary aspects and social impacts of the work
8. Maintain accurate records of project activities, including data collection and analysis

To enrol for the project, you must complete the assignment below to the best of your abilities. You are free to use any tools online to aid you, and can always reach out to us in case of any queries. Follow the submission instructions below, and submit the drive link of your final report. We will contact you personally if you are shortlisted for the interview.

Assignment Deadline: 11:59 pm, 8th May, 2023

Assignment Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FBDCV-6n48TVX9NNKNriwNYM-x1Vf73ClFj-eAsQTcQ/edit?usp=sharing

Submission Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdFNct8mKU_1adIED7PZ74InYc3qWPrPh_sgM_VtW14BGqkjg/viewform?usp=sharing

For any general queries, join the ProSpace WhatsApp group- https://chat.whatsapp.com/E09qtrcuShp1uf2w82LCsa

Email: 210050001@iitb.ac.in, asim.r.p@gmail.com

Phone: 9987361968, 7588716025