Backwaters in Kerala state of India are water bodies nourished by rivers but there is little or no water current and in most cases connected to the sea. Vembanadu lake, the largest backwater in the state is also the largest wetland system in South India. The major attraction of the area is backwater tourism and is emerging as the main income source of the region since the introduction of houseboats. Vembanadu lake is included in the Ramsar sites and there is a great concern on the environmental degradation due to the backwater tourism. Hence a study was taken up to assess the ecological threats to the backwaters due to pollution. It was found that pollution from untreated sewage waste, seepage of oil from engine driven boats, discharge of non-biodegradable wastes were serious issues. Possibilities to use green energy technologies such as bioenergy and solar energy were evident in the study.

Solar chimney is a promising technology to convert solar thermal energy to electricity. This system is a combination of solar air heater and a central updraft tube to generate a solar energy induced convective flow of air to drive a turbine. A micro-scale model of such a system was installed for studying its feasibility in Kerala conditions. As the mean temperature differential obtained was only about 3.3 o C and the chimney height was only 3m, a low air velocity value of 1.9 m/s was observed. Even though the possibility of power production with solar chimney could be established in the study, the economic and technical feasibility of the technology was not appreciable due to the climatic and geographic conditions prevailing in Kerala.

The book provides detailed information on the development of automation technologies in agriculture in a developing country perspective. A comprehensive review on automated weather stations, robotics and drones in agriculture will serve as a quick reference. The possibility of using open source micro controllers such as Arduino and Raspberry Pi are also briefly discussed. Practical experience on the design and fabrication of these components in Eritrea, a sub-Saharan African country is also shared in detail. One among the three developmental explorations was the design, fabrication, programing and evaluation of a sensor integrated, micro controller based, solar powered farm weather monitoring unit. Another investigation on the development of a rover type Agro-robot is narrated in detail giving the step by step procedure understandable to persons with a little bit of technical knowledge. The comprehensive account of methodologies for the crop monitoring drone will serve as a practical guide in utilizing the technology in low income countries. The book also provides information about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on agriculture. A brief prognosticated analysis on possibilities of using robotics and automation in post COVID-19 agriculture is also done. As automated systems in agriculture are going to be more crucial in the coming days, this book can serve as a guide for a beginner, reference for a researcher and knowledge bank for an academician.