Teen innovator bridges tech and tradition to empower India’s farmers
In the rice fields of Andhra Pradesh, where his grandparents once tilled the soil by hand, 17-year-old, Siddhardh Kotamreddy is reimagining the future of Indian agriculture. A student at The International School Bangalore (TISB), Kotamreddy has turned his childhood memories of rural hardship into a blueprint for rural transformation, one that blends engineering, empathy & economics to empower smallholder farmers.
From Fields to Future
Smallholder farmers make up 85% of India’s agricultural landscape but often struggle with outdated tools, climate unpredictability & limited access to technology. Growing up between his village and the classroom, Kotamreddy saw both worlds: the grit of traditional farming and the efficiency of modern innovation.
That contrast sparked his mission: to democratise agricultural technology for those who need it most. His flagship invention, AgriPulse, is a low-cost autonomous robot that analyses in real time and disperses fertiliser with surgical precision.
The patented device has already helped 70+ small farmers boost crop yields by 22% while slashing fertiliser waste by 15%. Ten AgriPulse units now roam paddy fields across Andhra Pradesh, collecting data & optimising inputs, a quiet revolution that’s earning attention from state officials and agricultural scientists alike. “I wanted to make cutting-edge science walk beside the farmer, not above him,” Kotamreddy says.
Digital Empowerment from the Ground Up
Kotamreddy didn't stop at machines. He founded The GreenYield Initiative, a community movement that equips farmers with digital skills to thrive in a tech-driven economy. Through local digital agri-hubs, he has trained over 300 villagers, from elderly growers to teenagers, in using mobile apps, soil sensors & e-marketplaces. The impact has been profound: incomes up by 30%, crop diversity widened, and confidence restored. Some families report their earnings nearly doubling. The initiative's ripple effect has been recognized by district authorities and featured in regional media.
Scholar. Builder. Changemaker.
Beyond invention, Kotamreddy’s research on rice sustainability in Nellore earned the CREST Gold Award and a submission to the International Journal of Social Science & Economics Research. As a research intern at Bengaluru’s Institute for Social & Economic Change (ISEC), he co-authored a policy memo on farmer debt relief that influenced pilot programs for over 1,000 farmers.
His intellectual curiosity is matched by leadership, which is evident from winning Silver at the World Economics Cup to captaining TISB’s basketball team & leading his robotics squad to Best Overall at RoboCup Junior India 2023.
The Road Ahead
As he prepares for college, Kotamreddy dreams big: scaling AgriPulse nationwide and expanding GreenYield across states. "India's farmers have fed us for generations,” he reflects. “Now it’s our turn to feed them hope — through innovation.”
