IIT Ropar Launches App to Help Children Learn About Plants, Crops and Agriculture

IIT Ropar AVNI app agriculture: IIT Ropar’s Centre of Excellence in AI for Digital Agriculture, ANNAM.AI, has launched ‘AVNI – Grow with Nature’, a digital learning platform designed to help children learn about plants, crops, food, and agriculture through their everyday surroundings. The web and mobile app uses artificial intelligence (AI) along with hands-on activities to help children identify and understand what they observe around them.

How the AVNI App Works?

The platform allows children to explore crops, fruits, vegetables, spices, cereals, and millets. For example, a child can use the app while looking at a plant, fruit, or crop and learn more about it through AI-powered identification. The core idea is to connect what children see in everyday life with basic knowledge about agriculture and food.

Key Features of AVNI

Developed by the team at IIT Ropar, AVNI is available in Hindi and English, and also provides audio content for younger children who may not yet read fluently. The app includes several interactive tools:

• Daily challenges
• A digital Nature Book
• A Nature Gallery
• A Crop Compare feature

These tools allow children to record what they learn, explore different plants, and compare crops as part of their learning journey, rather than passively consuming information.

Learning Before Formal Agriculture Education

According to IIT Ropar, the app is designed to introduce agricultural knowledge before children formally study agriculture as a subject in school. A plant in a school garden, a fruit at home, or a crop in a nearby field can all become starting points for learning about how food is grown and where it comes from.

Emphasis on Observation-Based Learning

The platform places particular emphasis on learning through observation, rather than relying solely on reading text-based information. Children are encouraged to explore their surroundings, identify plants and crops, and gradually build a basic understanding of agriculture and nature through direct, hands-on engagement.

Who Developed AVNI?

AVNI has been developed by Dr Mukesh Saini, Co-project Director of ANNAM.AI, IIT Ropar. The initiative is part of ANNAM.AI’s broader work on the use of AI in agriculture and education.

Free, Ad-Free, and Privacy-Focused Design

As per the institute, the platform is free to access, ad-free, and privacy-focused, with a child-focused design specifically aimed at keeping the digital learning environment safe and age-appropriate — an important consideration given the app’s intended audience of young children.

Part of a Broader AI-in-Agriculture Initiative

ANNAM.AI is working on building AI-based digital public infrastructure for Indian agriculture. AVNI extends this broader work into the education space, using AI not just to provide information, but to help children learn about agriculture through direct observation and exploration — bridging the gap between digital technology and real-world experiential learning.

Why This Matters?

The initiative is aimed at building agricultural awareness among children at an early age, including an understanding of the plants they see, the food they eat, and the role agriculture plays in producing it. Given India’s deep agricultural roots and the increasing disconnect many urban children may have from where their food actually comes from, a tool like AVNI could play a meaningful role in reconnecting young learners with basic agricultural literacy, using modern AI technology to make that connection more engaging and interactive.

Key Highlights

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