Pilot Program

Overview

AgriLens is currently preparing for its first field-validation pilot in the Vellore–Tirupathur region of Tamil Nadu. The objective of the pilot is to evaluate how farmers interact with agricultural decision-support tools, assess the usefulness of recommendations generated by the system, and identify areas for improvement before wider deployment.

Rather than focusing solely on technical performance, the pilot aims to understand usability, trust, accessibility, and the practical relevance of recommendations in real farming environments. Insights gathered during this phase will directly influence future development of the platform.

Why Vellore?

The Vellore region was selected as the initial pilot area based on the availability of agricultural datasets, existing farmer contacts, accessibility for field visits, and the opportunity to collaborate with local agricultural stakeholders. The region also represents a diverse agricultural environment suitable for testing crop recommendations, weather advisories, and market-related insights.

Pilot Objectives

• Evaluate farmer interaction with the AgriLens platform.

• Assess clarity and usefulness of recommendations.

• Test Tamil-language accessibility features.

• Validate crop risk assessments against farmer feedback.

• Understand information needs throughout the crop cycle.

• Measure trust and adoption barriers.

• Collect feedback for future model refinement.

Pilot features being evaluated

Crop Risk Assessment

Recommendations generated using climate, soil, and market information to estimate crop suitability and risk exposure.

Advisory System

Weather alerts, irrigation guidance, fertilizer recommendations, and agricultural advisories tailored to crop and location.

Voice-Based Interaction

Tamil voice and text interfaces designed to improve accessibility for users who may be less comfortable with traditional mobile applications.

Market Insights

Simple summaries of current prices, seasonal trends, and market-related risks relevant to selected crops.

Field Validation Methodology

Field testing will involve direct interaction with farmers through guided demonstrations and structured feedback sessions. Participants will be asked to perform common tasks using the application, provide feedback on usability and relevance, and discuss how the platform compares to their existing decision-making processes.

Both qualitative and quantitative observations will be recorded to support future improvements to the recommendation engine, user interface, and advisory systems.

Pilot timeline

Phase 1 — Research & Data Collection

Completed and ongoing

• Farmer interviews

• Dataset collection

• Requirement gathering

• Initial prototype development

Phase 2 — System Development

Current phase

• Machine learning model development

• Backend infrastructure

• Advisory integration

• Tamil language support

• Voice interface development

Phase 3 — Field Validation

Planned

• Farmer onboarding

• Guided testing sessions

• Feedback collection

• Usage observation

Phase 4 — Refinement

Post-pilot

• Model recalibration

• UI improvements

• Advisory enhancements

• Expanded deployment planning

Collaboration and Participation

AgriLens welcomes collaboration with farmers, agricultural institutions, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), researchers, extension officers, and domain experts interested in supporting pilot activities or providing feedback.

We believe that meaningful agricultural technology must be developed alongside the communities it serves. Partnerships and field insights therefore remain central to the success of the pilot program.

To learn more about the pilot or explore collaboration opportunities, please contact us at team@agrilens.org.