AGRHINOVA
24 Hours AgriTech Hackathon
Vellore Institute of Technology Chennai, India
6th April - 7th April, 2026
VIT Chennai, through AGRHI Innovators and the AGRHI Hub, successfully organized AGRHINOVA – 24 Hours AgriTech Hackathon from 6–7 April 2026 at Kasturba Hall, VIT Chennai, as part of the Erasmus+ funded AGRHI Project. Organized in collaboration with BirdScale Technology and Services, with support from AutoVIT and the Industry 4.0 ecosystem, the event provided students with a platform to develop technology-driven solutions for real-world agricultural challenges. A total of 83 students participated, including 60 students from VIT Chennai and 23 students from external institutions, working in interdisciplinary teams across hardware and software tracks. The participants explored innovative solutions in areas such as smart farming, agricultural automation, precision agriculture, digital agriculture, sensor-based monitoring, sustainability, resource optimization, and intelligent decision-making.
As part of the event, a Hands-on Workshop on Geospatial Artificial Intelligence was conducted on 6 April 2026 at the Industry 4.0 Laboratory, VIT Chennai, by Mr. Suresh Kumar S. M., Chief Technology Officer, BirdScale Technology and Services, Coimbatore. The workshop provided practical exposure to image processing using real aerial images captured by drones, demonstrating the potential of geospatial technologies for crop monitoring, agricultural mapping, field assessment, and precision farming. Throughout the 24-hour hackathon, participants received mentoring support from faculty members and industry experts for problem identification, ideation, prototype development, technical refinement, and solution validation. The projects were evaluated based on innovation, technical feasibility, practical applicability, sustainability, scalability, prototype development, and presentation quality. A total prize pool of Rs 50,000 was awarded, comprising Rs 25,000 for First Prize, Rs 15,000 for Second Prize, and Rs 10,000 for Third Prize, along with internship opportunities for outstanding participants.
AGRHINOVA significantly contributed to the objectives of the AGRHI Erasmus+ Project by strengthening student engagement, experiential learning, digital skills, innovation, entrepreneurship, and academia–industry collaboration. The event encouraged participants to apply emerging technologies such as IoT, artificial intelligence, automation, sensors, image processing, geospatial technologies, and data analytics to develop practical solutions for agriculture. It also motivated students to explore opportunities in research, product development, intellectual property creation, startups, and technology commercialization. By integrating hands-on learning, industry mentoring, prototype development, and competitive innovation, AGRHINOVA strengthened the role of the AGRHI Hub as a platform for promoting smart, sustainable, resilient, and technology-enabled agriculture.
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