IIT Ropar brings AI to the garden, teaching children where food comes from

IIT Ropar has launched AVNI, a web and mobile platform that uses AI to help children explore agriculture through everyday surroundings. The initiative seeks to build an early connection with plants, food and farming through safe, child-focused digital learning.New Delhi,Oct 6, 2026 15:41 ISTFrom the crop growing in a school garden to the fruit kept upon a household table, agriculture surrounds a child long before it becomes a subject of formal study. It is with this simple idea that ANNAM.AI, the Centre of Excellence for AI in Agriculture at IIT Ropar, has introduced AVNI – Grow with Nature, a digital learning initiative intended to acquaint children with agriculture and nature from an early age.Designed and developed by Dr Mukesh Saini, Co-project Director of ANNAM.AI, AVNI is available as a web and mobile application. It uses artificial intelligence and experiential learning to allow children to explore the plants, crops and food they encounter in their surroundings.The initiative has been introduced at a time when technology is increasingly being brought into learning and agricultural systems. AVNI seeks to place these two areas together, making agricultural learning available to children through a digital platform.AI MEETS EVERYDAY LEARNINGAVNI allows children to explore crops, fruits, vegetables, spices, cereals and millets through AI-powered identification and hands-on learning. The idea is not to confine agricultural knowledge to a classroom; rather, the child's immediate surroundings become part of the learning experience. The platform offers content in Hindi and English, along with audio for younger children. It also includes daily challenges, Nature Points, a digital Nature Book, a Nature Gallery and Crop Compare, among other interactive features.Thus, the application is not presented merely as a means of identifying plants. Its design brings identification, observation and continued engagement into one learning experience.FROM THE SCHOOL GARDEN TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD For Dr Pushpendra P. Singh, Project Director, ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar, agricultural education need not wait until a child reaches a classroom where agriculture is taught as a formal subject.“Building a future-ready India begins with how we educate and inspire our children today,” he said, describing AVNI as a meeting point between AI and experiential learning.He said a crop in a school garden, a fruit at home or a plant growing in the neighbourhood could become an opportunity for learning.“With this initiative, we want to turn their everyday curiosity into an early connection with agriculture, helping children understand the plants they see, the food they eat and the agricultural ecosystem that supports the nation.”The emphasis, therefore, is upon familiarity. By beginning with things that children can already see and touch, AVNI seeks to connect everyday experience with agricultural knowledge.A CHILD-FOCUSED DIGITAL PLATFORMThe initiative also places emphasis on the manner in which children use digital technology. Its child-focused design prioritises age-appropriate learning, privacy and a safe environment for exploration.The platform has been described as free, ad-free and privacy-focused, with its learning experience designed around exploration rather than commercial interruption.AVNI forms part of the wider work of ANNAM.AI, which is working towards AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Indian agriculture. The centre's stated approach is to develop solutions that are open, accessible and scalable, and which may be adapted across different agricultural contexts.ANNAM.AI is the Centre of Excellence for AI in Agriculture at IIT Ropar, supported by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Its work lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, agricultural intelligence and digital technologies.The centre works across AI, climate intelligence, digital agriculture, farmer advisory and capacity building, with the stated aim of contributing to a more connected and accessible agricultural ecosystem.- Ends