Menu
Date: 28 November 2025 (Friday) at 2:30 PM (IST) // Webinar Flyer
Topic - From Reservoir to Root: Transforming Irrigation with Digital Technologies
Describes a holistic, data-driven approach to water management that optimizes every stage of the irrigation process, from water source to the individual fields. This digital transformation addresses the critical challenge of water scarcity through precision, automation, and real-time information. Digital technologies manage water resources to ensure a sustainable supply with insights from Remote sensing, Infrastructure monitoring, Real-time data integration, IoT sensor networks, Mobile and web interfaces etc.
PRESENTATION
Introduction
Welcome to our webinar on Smart Irrigation Management! In today's world, where water scarcity and climate change are pressing concerns, optimizing irrigation practices is crucial for sustainable agriculture. Smart irrigation management offers a solution by leveraging advanced technologies to deliver the right amount of water at the right time, improving crop yields and reducing waste.
Internet of Things (IoT), smartphone tools, and sensors are technologies that further enable farmers to know the exact status of their field, including soil temperature, amount of water required, weather conditions etc. The use of sensors is also important for farmers to better understand their crops, reduce the environmental impacts and conserve resources. Therefore, by the usage of SMART agriculture, farmers are given the opportunity to produce yields while using fewer resources, such as fertilizers, water, and seeds.
What to Expect from This Webinar
- Overview of Smart Irrigation Systems: We will explore the fundamentals of smart irrigation, including sensors, controllers, and data analytics.
- Benefits of Smart Irrigation: Discover how smart irrigation can improve water use efficiency, increase crop productivity, and promote sustainable agriculture.
- Real-World Applications: We will discuss case studies and examples of successful smart irrigation implementations in various agricultural settings.
- Expert Insights: Our panel of experts will share their knowledge and experiences in smart irrigation management, addressing questions and challenges.
Join the Conversation
We are excited to share knowledge and experiences with you. Let us explore the world of smart irrigation management together and discover how it can transform agriculture for a more sustainable future.
Welcome Address: Dr. R.K. Gupta, Secretary General, ICID
Dr. R.K. Gupta has more than 38 years of extensive experience and specialization in Water Resources Management, Hydraulic Engineering, and River Basin Development. His expertise spans various areas like flood management, water cooperation, planning & design of water resources schemes, including Dam Safety Management. Additionally, he has significant experience in Hydropower Development, including the design and construction of tunnels and other underground works.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) from Delhi College of Engineering, a Master of Technology in Applied Mechanics from IIT Delhi, and both an M.Sc. and PhD in Hydraulics from IHE, Netherlands. Dr. Gupta began his career at the Central Water Commission (CWC), a premier Indian government organization in the water sector, and eventually served as its Chairman, a position equivalent to the Secretary to the Government of India. His extensive experience and academic credentials have established him as a highly respected figure in the Indian water resources management domain.
Opening Remarks: Dr. Marco Arcieri, President, ICID
Dr. Marco Arcieri is presently the Secretary General of the Italian National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (ITAL-ICID). In his professional career spanning more than 25 years, he has contributed to various studies and research in agricultural water management, land and water resources development, irrigation and drainage, flood prevention, drought monitoring, forecasting and mitigation. With his wide expertise, he has visited around 40 countries in order to implement International research projects and to attend Advanced Professional Specialization Courses. From 1996-2002 he worked as a Researcher with the Department of Crop Yield University of Basilicata, Italy as a researcher, working on aspects connected with Crop Yield and Productivity. From 2002-2006, he attended the Department of Crop Systems, Forestry and Environmental Sciences of University, Italy, wherein he completed his Ph.D.
His activity has been focused on the study of social and economic characteristics of agriculture in irrigated areas, in order to provide technical assistance to farmers on irrigation, within the framework of Research Projects co-financed by EU, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Works. He has been a member of ICID since 2008 and was elected as Vice President of ITAL-ICID in 2011. He is being appointed by ICID as the Permanent Observer to UN Agencies FAO and IFAD. Since April 2017, he is the representative within the Global Framework on Water Scarcity (GFWS) now WASAG - an International initiative coordinated and fostered by UN FAO to cope with water scarcity under the threat of climate change. He is also a member of the Interim Steering Committee and Focal Point for the Working Group on Sustainable Use of Water Resources of WASAG led by ICID. Dr. Arcieri is also a member of the FAO-WWC driven initiative Water Accounting in Agriculture and Head of the Regional Node for the Mediterranean Area within the International Research Program for Irrigation and Drainage (IRPID) Program of ICID.
In addition to the above, he was Vice President of ICID for the term 2018-2021, and also served as Chair and Member of some of the ICID Working Groups, to name a few, viz. Permanent Finance Committee, Chair of European Regional Working Group, Working Group on Water Food Energy Nexus (WG-WFE-N), Working Group on History of Irrigation, Drainage and Flood Control (WG-HIST), TF-GPP, TF-ILMDM etc.
SPEAKER
Mr. Chandan Kumar Thakur, Vice President, Vassar Labs
Mr. Chandan Kumar Thakur serves as the Vice President of Marketing at Vassar Labs since February 2024, leading the global marketing strategy for AI-powered SaaS and IT solutions, with a focus on brand positioning and revenue growth.
Prior to this, Chandan was Director of Marketing and Business Development at Odyssey Wonder for nearly 14 years, where expertise in AI-driven marketing and strategic initiatives facilitated significant revenue and brand transformation across various sectors.
Chandan's earlier experience includes serving as a Senior Executive in International Sales and Business Development at TATA AutoComp Systems Ltd. Chandan's educational background includes an MBA in Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and International Business from The Wharton School and XLRI Jamshedpur, along with an Advanced Program in Artificial Intelligence Powered Marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.
