In India’s onion belt, where millions of tonnes are grown but a significant portion spoils before reaching the market, a young engineer has developed a solution rooted in personal experience and deep field research. Kalyani Shinde, originally from Lasalgaon — Asia’s largest onion market — saw her own family’s onions rot in storage season after season. That loss was not just economic but emotional, motivating her to address one of agriculture’s persistent challenges. Farmers often discover spoilage only after visible signs or smell appear — by then, much of the stock is already lost. Researchers estimate that up to 40–50% of stored onions can rot due to inadequate conditions and lack of monitoring.

Kalyani combined her technical training with grassroots insights to create Godaam Sense, an IoT device that continuously tracks temperature, humidity and early spoilage indicators inside traditional warehouses. The system sends real-time alerts at the first sign of deterioration, enabling timely intervention — such as regrading, ventilation adjustment, or earlier sale — that can preserve up to a quarter of the crop that would otherwise have been lost.

Since its launch, Godaam Sense has been adopted in hundreds of storage units, and its pragmatic design bridges modern technology with traditional farming practices. Backed by institutions and partnerships, the innovation shows how simple, data-driven tools can strengthen India’s food system by reducing waste and stabilising supply — benefiting farmers, consumers and the broader agricultural economy.