Ropar (Punjab): The International Conference on Agricultural-Centric Computation (ICA 23) was recently held at IIT Ropar from May 11-13, sponsored by DST iHub – AWaDH (Agriculture & Water Technology Development Hub), its flagship project.
This three-day conference brought together experts from around the world to discuss the intersection of agriculture and computation.
Prof. (Dr.) Rajeev Ahuja, Director of IIT Ropar, welcomed the guests and highlighted the importance of such events in advancing research and innovation in the agriculture industry.
The conference featured keynote speeches from distinguished speakers Prof. (Dr.) Abdulmotaleb El Saddik from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and Prof. (Dr.) Athula Ginige from Western Sydney University, who shared their insights into the latest developments in agriculture. In his inauguration speech, Prof. El Saddik emphasized the importance of agriculture as “the lifeline of humanity” and highlighted how computation could drive progress in this field.
Throughout the conference, experts delved into various topics such as precision agriculture, machine learning, data analytics, and metaverse technology in agriculture. Attendees had the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research, exchange ideas, and participate in project demonstrations, poster presentations, panel discussions, and experiences shared by progressive farmers.
The attendees praised the quality of the research presented and the opportunities for networking and collaboration. The conference aimed to provide insights into new horizons that can shape our future agriculture, bring smiles to farmers and provide a platform for experts to share their knowledge and explore new ideas.
The program chairs Dr. Mukesh Kumar Saini and Dr. Neeraj Goel announced that this would be an annual conference, and the next year’s conference will be hosted in Delhi.
Experts and faculty from J&K institutions including Dr Rohitashw Kumar (SKUAST), Dr Monisa Qadiri (IUST), actively contributed as organizers and chairs further enhancing the conference’s breadth of expertise.
Overall, the conference was a resounding success and achieved its objective of creating a platform for experts worldwide to discuss and explore new ideas in the agriculture industry.
