There are 4 important farming operations — weeding, drilling seeds, spraying fertiliser and laying manure — all looked after by means of 18-year-old Ramdhan Lodha’s photo voltaic powered device.
Ramdhan Lodha grew up amidst the sunny fields of Jhalawar in Rajasthan. The 18-year-old was once conscious about the demanding situations confronted by means of farmers as he noticed his oldsters toil within the fields for a meagre source of revenue.
As a tender boy, a willing pastime in science led Ramdhan to spend maximum of his time tinkering with machines and experiments. He participated in each science festival introduced on the college with the mindset of making one thing new. Whilst the inventions had been small at first, an issue he noticed at house left him with a burning need to unravel it.
He noticed his father, Rajaram Lodha, spending hours on the box, lugging round a heavy spray pump on his shoulder to spray fertilisers at the plants. With age, this job was an increasing number of tricky and tedious for his father. Steady utilization additionally led to accidents on his shoulder, which pained younger Ramdhan.
The younger innovator determined to unravel this downside for his father by means of development a device that might spray fertiliser and uproot weeds on the identical time. Whilst the theory was once nice, investment was once a problem as Ramdhan didn’t need to burden his oldsters.
Beginning nearly 3 years in the past, he participated in competitions to earn the cash for his innovation. With the prize cash won, he has effectively constructed a solar-powered weed killing device these days, which is a multifaceted agricultural software that considerably reduces the bodily pressure on farmers and is eco-friendly.
But even so this success, he not too long ago won Rs 1 lakh as prize cash on the Indian Silicon Valley problem, a national festival hosted by means of the Scaler college of generation.
Right here’s how Ramdhan constructed this innovation:
A ray of hope for small farmers
Ramdhan, who not too long ago handed Elegance 12, had a willing eye on fixing agricultural issues via science and generation. He noticed the hardships confronted by means of the farmers in Jhalawar – the place a majority of them personal lower than 5 acres of land.
Proper from weed removing to spraying fertilisers, those farmers had two choices, hire pricey machines that save time, or rent labourers to do the paintings inflicting a vital dent of their already low source of revenue.
As {the teenager} seemed for answers, he remembered seeing his grandfather the usage of a guide device to take away weeds.
May he adjust it by means of making it electrical and upload a couple of choices the usage of generation?
“Many of the farmers round me, together with my father, used to hire tractors and different machines to sow seeds and take away weeds. The opposite choice was once to rent labourers for 10-12 days. Each choices led to a large number of expense to farmers,” stocks Ramdhan with The Higher India.
On the age of 15, he sketched the primary prototype of this device and submitted the access on the govt’s INSPIRE Award – MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting Nationwide Aspiration and Wisdom). He received the award and won a prize cash of Rs 10,000, which he used to construct his first prototype.
“I sought after to construct a device that might do a couple of duties. I sought after to stop farmers from lugging round 10 litre spray pumps on their shoulders, which you must replenish every so often,” he provides.
He took his caricature, some outdated cycles and went to a welder who helped him make the device. His first prototype was once a device which might sow seeds and spray insecticides. Ramdhan laughs as he stocks that his device is a manufactured from jugaad (hack).
Checking out the device was once simple as his father was the guinea pig. Seeing the practicality of it, farmers from within reach additionally borrowed it, validating {the teenager}’s efforts.
“The farmers favored it and despite the fact that they needed to manually push it, it was once higher than renting machines. I sought after to toughen it additional as I noticed that it was once serving to them almost,” he stocks.
Next prize cash received at nationwide science festivals helped Ramdhan upload a motor, batteries and photo voltaic panel, making it electrical. Began when he was once in Elegance 10, he had made his ultimate and 3rd prototype by the point he was once in Elegance 12. All the device was once constructed at a price of Rs 30,000.
How the device works
The device is in essence, a changed cycle, with a battery, photo voltaic panel, spray pumps on each side and a weed remover within the entrance.
The multi-tasking device can carry out 4 important farming operations – cleansing weeds, drilling seeds, spraying fertiliser and laying manure. It really works on each solar energy and has a battery, for cloudy days.
It may be customised for period and folded for simple transportation. The design comprises simply adjustable portions and attachments that mimic the capability of bigger, dearer farming equipment, making it an excellent resolution for small-scale farmers.
“It could do most of these other duties on the identical time, saving time and effort. You’ll be able to take away weeds and spray fertilisers on the identical time. It gets rid of the desire for choosing up heavy spray tanks and hiring labourers,” provides Ramdhan.
It additionally comes with a bulb for farmers who need to paintings at night time and has a charger for the battery.
Ramdhan’s father beams with delight as he speaks about his son’s innovation.
“It made existence such a lot more uncomplicated for me. All guide duties which might take time can now be achieved at a press of a button,” he stocks.
The most recent prize cash on the Indian Silicon Valley Problem is a shot within the arm for Ramdhan, as he objectives to get his device marketplace able.
Whilst the general public in his village purpose for a central authority activity, Ramdhan is company on changing into an entrepreneur and making his sensible and cost-effective device to be had to small-scale farmers around the nation.
Along with his circle of relatives’s beef up obviously in the back of him, Ramdhan continues to refine his invention and desires of wider adoption throughout farms in India.
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“I need to make the lives of small farmers around the nation much less arduous and extra successful,” he concludes.
Edited by means of Padmashree Pande, Photographs Courtesy Ramdhan Lodha