Democratised agriculture hackathon

We are a tri-national consortium bringing together Imperial College London, IIT Kanpur, Techno India University, TRACE Sri Lanka, and Hatch Sri Lanka to explore how robotics, sensing, and artificial intelligence can transform the future of agriculture.

Our vision is to make farming transparent, data-driven, and scalable—so that agricultural operations can be professionally managed, remotely monitored, and open to distributed participation by investors and expert communities.

Across South Asia, agriculture faces growing challenges. Rural labour shortages, underutilised farmland, climate pressures, and limited investment are constraining productivity and long-term sustainability. At the same time, advances in precision agriculture technologies—including multispectral imaging, crop sensing, automated intervention, and AI-driven decision systems—offer new opportunities to address these challenges.

Through this initiative, we aim to build a climate-resilient innovation network connecting the UK, India, and Sri Lanka. Our goal is to explore how shared robotics, digital monitoring systems, and transparent decision platforms can enable new models of democratised precision agriculture, where farms are professionally operated while ownership and participation can be distributed among multiple stakeholders.

As the first step, this seed project launches a distributed UK–India–Sri Lanka hackathon inviting students, innovators, and entrepreneurs to develop new concepts that combine:

• robotics and sensing technologies
• AI-assisted agronomic decision systems
• transparent farm monitoring platforms
• scalable agricultural business models

The most promising ideas will be further developed through an enterprise workshop, and consolidated into a joint white paper and enterprise prospectus to support future pilot deployments, investment opportunities, and follow-on research funding.

Join the Hackathon

We invite teams from the UK, India, and Sri Lanka to participate in this collaborative hackathon and contribute innovative technological and business solutions that can help democratise precision agriculture.

Together, we aim to shape the next generation of transparent, climate-resilient, and investable farming systems.

What will each team submit

Each team will make two submissions:

Interim submission – due 20 June 2026  (submit via this form)
Teams must submit a link to an unlisted YouTube video (maximum 10 minutes). The video should introduce the team members and present the vision and proposed approach for a viable democratised precision agriculture business concept.

Final submission – due 15 July 2026 (submit via this form)
Teams must submit a 10-minute pitch slide deck together with a link to an unlisted YouTube video presenting the slides. The presentation should clearly explain the vision, technical approach, and business model, including projected cash flow estimates for the first three years.

What we expect in a good submission

Your 10 minute video should address the following:

A. Show eligibility and technical requirements

To ensure that proposals are technically credible and economically viable, teams must demonstrate the following capabilities:

1. Experimental farmland
Teams must have access to and be able to commit at least 1 acre of experimental farmland for cultivating at least one crop under the proposed model.

2. Precision agriculture technology partner
Each team must collaborate with a technical partner, such as a university research group, agri-tech startup, or private company, with expertise in precision agriculture technologies (e.g., sensing, imaging, robotics, or AI-based monitoring).

3. Agronomic expertise
The team must include an agronomist with at least one year of field experience, who can provide practical guidance on crop management, soil conditions, and intervention strategies.

B. Present your business plan

Teams must present a 3-year business plan, ideally developed with input from individuals who have private-sector or entrepreneurial experience. The plan should clearly address the following elements.

1. Farm location

Specify the geographical location of the proposed farm and include a map indicating the site and surrounding region.

2. Crop selection and rationale

Identify the crop or crops you intend to cultivate and explain why they are suitable for the chosen location. Your explanation should consider climate, soil conditions, water availability, and market demand, and include a clear economic justification.

3. Democratised farming model

Describe how you will implement a democratised farming framework. Explain how distributed investors or stakeholders will be able to:

• access real-time farm data and updates,
• monitor crop health and operational progress, and
• participate in data-informed decisions related to interventions such as fertilisation, pest management, irrigation, or technology adoption.

4. Path to profitability

Present a 3-year roadmap toward profitability, outlining key milestones in operations, scaling, and revenue generation. The plan should include projected cash flow estimates, highlighting major costs, expected yields, revenue streams, and financial risks.

The Assessment Process

We have established a clear timeline for evaluating and promoting the best concepts (dates and portal details provided in your query):

Mid-term Review: An online review of all participating teams will be released on 30th June 2026. 

Final Pitch Event: The final evaluation will be released on 30th July 2026.

Shortlisting & Promotion: At most, five teams will be shortlisted. We will make their pitch videos available to potential investors for follow-up opportunities.

The seed phase of this project will officially conclude on 30th July 2026, positioning the strongest teams for future pilot deployment and commercial development. We look forward to seeing how you help us build a more transparent and resilient agricultural future.

Leadership team

Thrishantha Nanayakkara, Imperial, UK

Manjula Silva, Imperial, UK

Deeph Chana, Imperial, UK

Sundar Kumar Iyer, IIT Kanpur, India

Subashis Biswas, Techno India University, India

Heminda Jayaweera, TRACE, Sri Lanka

Mevan Peiris, Hatch, Sri Lanka