New Delhi, Oct 06: As India continues to invest in technology-led agriculture and AI-enabled learning, IIT Ropar’s ANNAM.AI has introduced AVNI, a new digital learning initiative that combines AI and experiential learning to build agricultural awareness among children from an early age. Introducing children to crops, plants and food from an early age can help them understand where their food comes from, how it grows and the important role agriculture plays in our lives.
AVNI – Grow with Nature, a digital learning initiative designed and developed by Dr Mukesh Saini, Co-project Director of ANNAM.AI is a web and mobile app to introduce children to agriculture and nature through AI-powered exploration in their surroundings.
On the launch, Dr Saini said,
“We are working towards making agricultural knowledge accessible and engaging for the children. AVNI has been developed as a free, ad-free and privacy-focused learning platform, keeping the experience simple, safe and focused on learning and discovery.”
AVNI brings together AI-powered identification and hands-on learning, allowing children to explore crops, fruits, vegetables, spices, cereals and millets through their everyday surroundings. The app offers content in Hindi and English, with audio for younger children too. It also includes daily challenges, Nature Points, a digital Nature Book, a Nature Gallery and interactive features such as Crop Compare, making learning simple and engaging.
Dr Pushpendra P. Singh, Project Director, ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar,
“Building a future-ready India begins with how we educate and inspire our children today. AVNI is where AI meets experiential learning, built around a simple idea: agricultural learning does not have to begin in a classroom or only when a child chooses agriculture as a subject. A crop in a school garden, a fruit at home or a plant growing in the neighbourhood can become an opportunity to learn. 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.”
As children increasingly use digital platforms, responsible technology needs to be part of the experience. Its child-focused design prioritises age-appropriate learning, privacy and a safe environment for exploration.
The development of these technologies reflects ANNAM.AI’s broader vision of building AI-powered Digital Public Infrastructure for Indian agriculture—open, accessible and scalable solutions that can be adapted across diverse agricultural contexts.
