Inspiration
The idea for Krishi Seva came from seeing how the Government of India sets aside a large part of its budget for farmers every year. These funds are meant for new farming technology, financial help, and other facilities. However, despite the announcements, many of these benefits don't reach the farmers. Either they don’t know about these schemes, or they find it difficult to access them. This problem inspired me to create a platform that would make it easy for farmers to get information about these government schemes, expert advice, and tools to improve their farming.
What it does
Krishi Seva is an all-in-one platform that helps farmers by giving them useful information about farming techniques, government aid, and connecting them with agricultural experts. It also allows farmers to discuss their problems and share knowledge.
How we built it
We used different tools and technologies to build Krishi Seva:
Frontend: We used React.js to make the website simple and easy to use for farmers. Backend: We built the backend with Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB Atlas to handle all the data and keep the platform running smoothly. AI and Data Processing: We integrated the Gemini API to help recommend crops and predict diseases, giving farmers personalized advice with a high accuracy rate of 97%. Web Scraping: We used Selenium to automatically gather the latest agriculture news and government scheme updates every 24 hours. Image Storage: We chose Firebase for storing images to reduce the load on our servers and make everything run faster. Discussion Forum: We added a forum where farmers can ask questions, share their experiences, and learn from each other.
Challenges we ran into
Implementing the Discussion Forum: Creating a space where farmers could interact and share knowledge was a key feature, but we faced challenges in ensuring the forum was easy to use, especially for those with limited tech experience. We had to design an intuitive interface and ensure the forum was moderated effectively to provide meaningful discussions.
Web Scraping for News and Government Schemes: Gathering live agriculture news and government scheme updates was complex due to inconsistent data sources. We had to ensure the scraped data was reliable and updated regularly, all while managing the risk of websites changing their layouts, which could break the scraping functionality. To address this, we used Selenium and developed error handling mechanisms to ensure seamless data flow.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Award-Winning Project: Krishi Seva earned 3rd place in an internal hackathon, which validated the hard work we put into building a platform that directly addresses farmers' needs. It was a great recognition of our team's efforts in solving real-world agricultural challenges.
Real-Time Information Flow: Successfully implementing a web scraping system that gathers and updates live agriculture news and government schemes every 24 hours was a key achievement. This ensured that farmers always had access to the latest information without needing to navigate through complicated sources.
20% Backend Performance Boost: By using Firebase for image storage, we were able to reduce server load by 20%, ensuring smooth and optimal performance for users, especially those in rural areas with limited internet connectivity.
Engagement Through Discussion Forum: We are proud of creating a discussion forum that encourages farmer-to-farmer interaction, fostering a supportive community where they can ask questions, share advice, and learn from each other.
What we learned
Handling Real-Time Data with Web Scraping: Implementing web scraping taught me how to handle real-time data updates effectively. We had to account for potential errors and changes in external websites, ensuring that the system provided fresh and reliable information to farmers.
Building a User-Friendly Forum: Designing the discussion forum was a learning experience in understanding user behavior. It required thoughtful design to cater to users with limited technical backgrounds, while also creating a space that encouraged collaboration and knowledge sharing among farmers
What's next for Krishi Seva
Integrating stripe payment for payment and make it responsive and connecting frontend and backend of discussion forum. With the help of AI checking whether the user is uploading crops in correct section
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