ICT4D Data Jam to hack solutions for agriculture

Hyderabad,A May 3 (IANS) As many as 75 best hackers will come together at ICT4D Data Jam to come out with technology solutions for some of the challenges faced by farmers, a statement said on Wednesday.

The two-day hackathon on May 12-13 will be held at ICRISAT at Patancheru near Hyderabad.

Best hackers whether data entrepreneurs, data analysts, IT professionals or academics will put data to work to find solutions to how technology can better address the development challenges facing India today, said a statement from the organisers.

Hackers will be set an agriculture and environment challenge and provided with related datasets and APIs to hack solutions in the 48-hour period.

"Participants will think through tough questions about how technology and data can meet the needs of farmers and the environment, and how we can overcome common pitfalls of 'tech for ag' projects," it said.

Winning teams will each win up to $1,000 and the chance to get access to up to $15,000 in donated business and consultancy services as well asAmembership at the newly-opened ICRISAT iHub.

The ICT4D Data Jam is being held in partnership with the ICT4 Conference, ICRISAT, aWhere, AGDA Group, A-M-Z Group and the Hack4Farming series.

"India's farmers are the backbone of the economy; they account for a large proportion of the working population and agriculture contributes around 16 percent to the nation's GDP. Like all other business people farmers need to maximise their profits and minimise risk, yet they face unique challenges in doing so," said the statement.

ICRISAT's Head, Digital Agriculture & Strategic Initiatives Ram Dhulipala said: "Low-cost smartphones and tablets, drones, improved weather data collection services, the Aadhar system, social media, and mobile money are all paving the way for easier access to information for rural farmers, but we need data innovators to connect the dots and hack the next big thing for digital farming.

"The ICT4D Data Jam gives just that chance and we are confident that Hyderabad, as a hub of Indian innovation, will deliver the answer."

(This story has not been edited by Social News XYZ staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)