Hello

Background & Vision:

“Life is like a parabola; it has its ups and downs, and we spend most of our time trying to arrive at the point.” – Anonymous

My journey closely reflects this idea. The highs strengthened my confidence, while the lows shaped my perspective and sense of direction. Over time, I realized that education alone is not enough—it must be guided by purpose. My purpose is to address the growing challenges of climate change through precision agriculture and sustainable water management.

Since childhood, I have maintained a close connection with farming and farming communities. Witnessing the daily challenges farmers face—especially under increasingly unpredictable and extreme climatic conditions—motivated me to pursue agricultural education and research to serve the community more effectively.

During my undergraduate studies, I was exposed to diverse disciplines, including agronomy, precision agriculture, climate-resilient agriculture, soil science, and crop ecology. Among these, precision farming resonated most with me, as it bridges science, technology, and real-world decision-making. Through academic training and field experience, I gained hands-on exposure to research tools such as tensiometers, LI-COR systems, pH and EC meters, atomic absorption spectrophotometers, Kjeldahl and flame photometers, SPAD meters, and unmanned aerial systems (drones).

My research focus deepened further during my work at Kansas State University, where I conducted research on remote-sensing–based water management. The findings demonstrated that integrating satellite and sensor-based data into irrigation decision-making can reduce agricultural water use by approximately 15% without compromising productivity. This reinforced my belief that data-driven agriculture is not a future concept—it is a present necessity.

I will continue my academic journey through a PhD, with a primary focus on remote sensing, particularly satellite data analysis for agricultural water management, to better understand the dynamic patterns of water use across cropping systems in the United States. My long-term vision extends beyond borders. Since satellite data are increasingly accessible and often freely available, I aim to apply and adapt these approaches in India, where farmers urgently need reliable, science-based guidance to manage water resources more efficiently.

Sustainable development, to me, means using technology responsibly—conserving resources today while safeguarding the needs of future generations. In a world facing long-term environmental risks, flexibility, innovation, and informed decision-making are essential. With a large youth population, especially in countries like India, engaging young scientists in sustainability-focused research is not optional—it is critical.

As a young researcher, I see my responsibility as contributing locally first and then globally—using precision agriculture and remote sensing to support farmers, protect water resources, and build resilient agricultural systems for the future.

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Perspective on scale-independent precision agriculture:

Precision agriculture can be practiced at a scale-independent level, whether in large farming systems like those in the United States or in small, fragmented farms like those in India. The core idea remains the same: understand how the field is behaving and respond accordingly. In India, such understanding becomes possible by using freely available satellite data, local weather information, and simple field observations rather than expensive machinery. From a farmer’s perspective, this means knowing when irrigation is actually needed, which part of the field is under stress, and where inputs can be reduced. Instead of treating the entire field the same way, farmers can make timely and targeted decisions that save water, reduce costs, and improve crop health. This approach makes precision agriculture practical and accessible, even for smallholder farmers.

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