Rural low-tech innovations

What’s the project context?

Today, Indian farmers face 3 main challenges. First, farmers don’t process their crops because equipments are too expensive. Consequently, their raw products are sold to industries at a cheap price. Then, because of urbanization, most of farmers lack of affordable labour. They then need low-cost automation. Finally, quality of lands is decreasing due to a lack of knowledge on the over-uses of chemicals fertilizers whereas organic farming products have a high-value on the market.

All the rural low-tech innovations from Fab Lab Vigyan Ashram

To help those farmers, Vigyan Ashram’s students have been working on sustainable and low cost solutions. The student’s first prototypes are always made out of scraps.

1. Rice planting machines on the market are too expensive for farmers. The current prototype developed by the ashram would be half of the Chinese machines price and easy-to-produce by any local manufacturers.

2. Then, students have developed a rice dehusking machine to transform normal rice into brown rice. Today, the machine was fully tested and is sold to farmers whom can sell their brown rice at a better value on the market.

3. Vegetable driers consume a lot of electricity which is not environment friendly and farmers cannot afford it. That’s why by the end of 2016, a student created an affordable solar dome drier prototype.

4. An aquaponic mechanism is currently tested in Vigyan Ashram. This organic and efficient process grows both fishes and crops. Local rural farmers are taught to develop that solution on their lands.

5. Finally, Vigyan Ashram developed an hydroponic system in order to grow green grass to feed animals in any environmental conditions.