ACRAT

Agricultural systems in the semi-arid regions of Telangana face multiple structural and environmental challenges. The state has a high proportion of small and marginal farmers, with average landholdings typically below 1 to 1.5 hectares, making agricultural livelihoods highly sensitive to climate shocks and market fluctuations. Recurring issues such as climate variability, erratic rainfall, declining soil fertility, water scarcity and pest pressure place considerable strain on production systems.

Farmers often have limited access to timely, localised and scientifically validated advisory services. Extension pathways are frequently fragmented, and relevant information is distributed across different institutions and formats. Data generated through field observations, soil diagnostics and remote assessments remains isolated and difficult to consolidate, which restricts the development of data-informed advisory services and limits evidence-based decision-making for farmers, researchers and policymakers.

ACRAT responds to these challenges by establishing a science-driven and interoperable agroecological testbed that integrates multi-source datasets, AI-enabled analytics and federated data governance. The initiative brings together agronomy, digital innovation and institutional actors to create a farmer-centric and climate-resilient framework for precision agriculture. This ensures that small and marginal farmers benefit directly from data-driven insights, improved advisory delivery and sustainable agricultural practices.

The ACRAT project adopts a multi-stakeholder and system-level approach to advance a resilient and sustainable agricultural framework in Telangana. By integrating advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT), the project develops data-driven solutions tailored to the needs of small-scale farmers. Field-level technology deployment, targeted capacity-building activities and ongoing collaboration with institutional and private-sector partners support the adoption of agroecological practices within farming communities.

Project Goals

Build climate resilience for small-scale farmers.

• Promote sustainable farming practices for improved productivity and soil health.
• Empower farmers with tailored, data-driven solutions using AI and IoT.
• Foster multi-stakeholder collaboration for holistic development.
• Contribute to the validation of international agricultural data standards

• Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute, Berlin

• AgHub, Telangana (PJTSAU)

• Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University

• Government of Telangana (Agriculture and IT-Departments)

• AgriTech start-ups (Krishitantra, BharatRohan, CarbonMint, DeltaThings and Transity)